Unexpected Love
by RozaBelikova-x
Summary: Rose broke up with her boyfriend but he keeps stalking her and sometimes he threatens her. He's determined to get her back. Rose can't take it anymore and one night her teacher, Dimitri, finds her crying. Dimitri is worried and wants to help her. In doing so, they grow closer. Being in a romantic relationship is forbidden since he's her teacher, but will that stop them? All human.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! I don't have much to say, only this: I hope you enjoy this first chapter and I hope you'll like it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy. It all belongs to the wonderful Richelle Mead. **

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**CHAPTER 1**

**RPOV**

"Rose!" my mom called. "Eddie is here!"

"Coming!" I yelled. I took my coat and sprinted down the stairs. Eddie and my mom stood in the hallway, waiting for me. He smiled at me and I grinned. "Hi!"

"Hey, Rose," he greeted. "Are you ready?"

"Yup. Let's go," I said, pulling him to the door.

"Wait!" my mom said, hurrying after us.

I turned around. "What?"

"You got a key?" she asked.

"Yes," I said.

"And your cell?" she questioned.

"Yes," I repeated.

"If something's wrong, call me," mom said.

"I will," I promised, trying not to roll my eyes at her concern. "See you tomorrow."

Eddie and I left my house and walked to the car that was parked in front of my house. Eddie's mom would drive us to town where we would meet the rest of our friends. She dropped us off and we walked the last bit to the café where the gang would be.

"There you are!" Lissa, my best friend since kindergarten, said. Smiling, she got up from her chair to hug Eddie and me. "You are late."

"Sorry," I apologized and added with a grin, "Couldn't decide which shoes to wear."

I turned to my friends to greet them, but Mason and Mia were too busy with each other to notice me, so I cleared my throat. "Hey, guys, can you please stop doing that? There are people here."

Mason reluctantly tore himself away from Mia to look at me. He grinned. "Well, hello there, Rose. Nice to see you, too."

"Hey Rose," Mia said smiling. She patted the spot next to her and I sat down beside her.

"What, I don't get a hello?"

I turned to my left, where Christian sat. "Oh, I didn't see you," I said grinning.

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure."

"Aww, did I hurt your feelings?"

He scoffed. "No way."

Christian and I were always bickering. We had never really liked each other, but then he became Lissa's boyfriend so I had no other choice than to accept him. But that didn't mean I couldn't tease him. We did it all the time and I have to say, he's not as bad as I thought. Though I would never admit that to him. I knew he was thinking the same about me. Just like me, he would never admit that he thought of me as a friend.

"Where's Jill?" Eddie asked as he sat down on the other side of me.

"Her parents didn't want her to come because it's school tomorrow," Mia said.

"Oh," was Eddie's only response.

I could see that he was disappointed. I wondered why. Was there something going on between him and Jill that I didn't know of? I would have to ask him later. I knew that if he wanted to talk about personal matters, he would not want to do it with all of our friends as witnesses.

Mason and Eddie went to get us some drinks and while we waited, I chatted with Lissa and Mia. When the door opened again, I looked up and cursed.

"What?" Lissa followed my gaze and then bit her lip. "Oh no."

"What is he doing here?" I grumbled. "Did anyone tell him I was going to be here?"

They both shook their head.

"Maybe it's coincidence," Mia said.

"Nothing is a coincidence with him," I said through gritted teeth. "I hope he doesn't see us."

"Too late," Lissa said. "He's coming over here."

I groaned. "No. Please hide me."

"He already saw you, Rose," Mia said.

Christian smirked. "This is going to be fun."

I nudged him. "Shut up."

"Rose!" Jesse, my ex-boyfriend, walked over to our table and smiled at me. "There you are. I texted you. Why didn't you text me back?"

"I don't have my cell with me," I lied. "What do you want?"

"To talk," he simply said.

"Jesse, we are done talking," I said. "How many times do I have to tell you? We are over."

I broke up with Jesse about a month ago, but he still wouldn't leave me alone. He called ant texted me every day. It was frustrating. I told him so many times to leave me alone, but he wouldn't listen. He was so stubborn.

"No, you don't mean that," he said. "I know you don't."

"But I do mean it!" I exclaimed impatiently. "I don't want anything to do with you!"

Now I had broken things off with him, I couldn't understand why I had fallen for him in the first place. But back then, when we first started dating, he was nice and sweet, but after a couple of months he became very jealous. And for no reason. He always accused me of cheating on him with Eddie because I spent so much time with him, but Eddie was my best friend. He was like a brother to me. Nothing more. And Jesse knew that. He was even jealous of Christian. Christian, for God's sake!

"Rose, please," Jesse begged. "I know you still love me."

I sighed. "Jesse, please leave."

By then Eddie and Mason had returned with our drinks. Eddie gave Jesse a dark look.

"What's he doing here?" he asked.

"That's none of your business!" Jesse snapped at him.

Eddie clenched his fists. "Leave Rose alone! She doesn't want to see you!"

"Will you shut up for once?" Jesse yelled. "Rose can speak for herself, you know!"

"Calm down," Lissa hissed to Jesse. "You're making a scene! Everyone's looking."

I looked up and saw that Lissa was right. Everyone was looking at us with disapproval.

"Fine," Jesse grumbled. "But I'm not leaving until you talk to me, Rose."

I wanted to protest, but he'd already sat down next to me. Eddie looked like he wanted to murder Jesse, but he took a deep breath and sat across from me, his fists still clenched. I looked at him and gave him a small smile, telling him that it was okay. He relaxed a bit, but kept his eyes on Jesse.

"I told you, I don't want to talk to you," I said stiffly.

"You have to give me another chance," Jesse pleaded. "I'll change. I promise."

"You just showed me that you can't change," I said, trying to stay calm. "There's nothing more to talk about."

"But-"

"Don't," I warned. "I'm not in the mood."

He shut up and crossed his arms. I really wished he would just go, but it seemed that he would stay right beside me. Great. Just great. This was supposed to be a fun night with my friends, but now I was stuck with my ex-boyfriend who couldn't stop following me around. At this moment, I really wanted to go home.

"So, Rose, how's it going with Ryan?" Mia asked casually. "Did he ask you out yet?"

I shot Mia daggers. I knew what she was doing. I didn't know a guy named Ryan. She'd just made him up, wanting to torture Jesse some more because she didn't like him. But with saying things like this, she would only make this situation worse.

"Who's Ryan?" Jesse asked immediately.

I felt the urge to hit my head on the table, but resisted. "No one," I said curtly.

"Is he your boyfriend?" Jesse asked, his voice loud and angry.

"No!"

"If I find out who this Ryan is, I'll-"

"Stop it!" I yelled. "I'm so tired of this. You can't just threaten my friends because I hang out with them. You can't just text and call me every five minutes. You're not my boyfriend anymore. I want you to leave me alone." Tears of anger sprang to my eyes and I quickly got up. "I need some air. And don't you dare to follow me!" I added warningly.

I walked away. I saw that Eddie wanted to follow me, but Lissa pushed him down and said, "Don't. Give her some time."

"Rose!" I heard Jesse call. "Wait!"

"No way, you're going to stay here," Christian said to him. "You heard her. She doesn't want you around."

I pushed the door open and walked out. It was cold outside and snow blew in my face, but I didn't care. I just needed some air. I needed to calm down. I crossed the street and sat down on a bench. I pulled my knees up and wrapped my arms around them. I let out a shaky breath as silent tears rolled down my cheeks. Damn it. Why did I always have to cry when I was frustrated?

The only thing I wanted was for Jesse to leave me alone. The past month, he had called me every day and waited for me when school was finished, even though he didn't have to be there because he went to a different school. And now he'd shown up here too. It was suffocating.

I suppose I could tell my mom, but she really liked Jesse. She didn't know he was so jealous and that he threatened people who talked too much to me. I hadn't told her yet we'd broken up. She would probably be devastated. She always thought of Jesse as the perfect son-in-law. I figured I had to tell her someday, but now was not the time.

Strangely, it felt good to cry. I had bottled up all my feelings and now I could finally let everything out. I was alone now so I didn't need to be strong and pretend I was alright.

"Rose?" I heard someone say hesitantly.

Startled, I looked up and wiped my tears away when I saw who was standing in front of me. Oh God, this couldn't be more embarrassing.

"Rose, are you okay?"

I looked at my history teacher, Mr. Belikov, and nodded. Why, of all people, did he have to find me here? What was he doing out here anyway?

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," I said in a muffled voice.

"Are you sure?" he asked. I could hear his faint Russian accent as he spoke. He frowned and took a step closer. "Have you been crying?"

I shrugged. No point in denying it. He'd probably heard me when he walked by. "I'm alright," I said, wiping at my eyes again. I couldn't be more embarrassed.

I felt him stare at me, but I didn't dare to look up. Why didn't he just leave? Why did he have to stay here and make sure I was fine? But, well, that was just who he was, I guess. He was always concerned for his students and tried to help them as best as he could when they needed the help. He was nice to us. Some of the other teachers could learn something from him, like Stan Alto. He was a complete jerk to his students.

His kindness was one of the reasons why Dimitri Belikov was popular among his students, but that was not the only reason. Dimitri was good-looking. No, not just good-looking. He was hot. He was tall, well-built and had shoulder length brown hair. He often pulled it back into a ponytail, but there were always a few strands that fell out and framed his face. And he was still pretty young, though I didn't know his exact age. I guessed he was mid-twenties. The girls in our school adored him. I thought that was silly because they would never have a chance with him. After all, he was a teacher and several years older.

Dimitri took another step and hesitantly sat down beside me. "Do you want to talk about it?"

I shrugged. He'd probably think I was crying over nothing. I didn't even understand why he was still here. "It's not important," I finally said. Another tear rolled down my cheek and I hastily wiped it away. I tried to smile, but failed.

"If it makes you cry, then it must be important," Dimitri said quietly.

I sighed. "I'm just having trouble with a guy," I said after a while.

"Oh. Your boyfriend?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Ex-boyfriend."

"Did he hurt you?"

"No, he just doesn't want to leave me alone," I burst out. "He's always calling me and following me around. He's jealous of every guy I talk to. And he has no reason to be. They're just my friends. I told him to leave me alone, but he keeps texting me and he waits for me at school. It's so frustrating."

"Maybe he is sorry and wants to get back together with you?" Dimitri suggested.

"It's too late for that," I said angrily.

"He'll get tired of chasing you. Just have patience," Dimitri said gently.

"I have been patient for over a month," I grumbled.

"Don't worry. Once he realizes it's over, he'll stop."

"I hope so."

Dimitri gave me a small smile and I felt myself smiling back. We fell silent and just sat next to each other. After a few minutes someone came outside and called for me. It was Eddie.

"Rose, are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I'll be there in a second," I called back.

I sighed and stood up. Dimitri got up too and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Thanks for the talk," I said.

"You're welcome."

"Bye, Dimitri."

He gave me a pointed look and I grinned. I never bothered to call my teachers like I should. I always called them by their first name. He should know that by now.

He gave an exasperated sigh. "Bye, Rose."

I walked toward Eddie, who'd waited for me. "Was that Mr. Belikov?" he asked.

I nodded.

"Why was he here?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. We just ran into each other." I was not going to admit to him that Dimitri had found me crying. The rest of the gang came outside just then. "Sorry I ruined your night," I said to them.

"You didn't," Mia said. "Jesse did."

"Watch your mouth!" Jesse exclaimed angrily.

"Hey, don't talk to my girlfriend like that," Mason exclaimed.

Mia groaned. "Just go, Jesse. We don't want you here."

But Jesse didn't listen to her. He turned to me. "Where did you go?"

"None of your business," I retorted.

"Okay, Jesse, I think it's time for you to go now," Christian said. "You've done enough for tonight."

"Eddie, can we go home?" I asked.

He nodded. "I texted my mom. She'll be here in ten minutes."

"Okay, thanks," I said smiling.

Lissa approached us and gave me a small smile. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Liss," I said. I actually was feeling better. Thanks to Dimitri.

"Okay then," she said and she hugged me. "See you tomorrow at school."

"Bye."

I watched her walk away with Christian. He wrapped his arm around her waist and held her close to his body. They were like the perfect couple. They never fought and I could see they loved each other more than anything in the world. I sighed. I hoped that one day I would find that kind of love, too.

A couple minutes later, Eddie's mom arrived and drove us back. It was silent in the car, but I didn't mind. I thanked Eddie's mom when she dropped me off and said my goodbyes. The lights were out so I figured my mom was already asleep. I tried to go to my room as quiet as possible and changed into my pajamas.

I lay down in bed and put my cell phone on my nightstand. I noticed I had a new message and saw to my annoyance it was from Jesse. I didn't bother to read it and deleted it right away. I turned off my phone, knowing that I would have a bunch of new messages the next morning. But right now, I didn't care. All I wanted to do was to sleep and forget about tonight.

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	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much for the reviews, favorites and follows! I'm glad you all liked the first chapter, and hopefully you'll like this chapter too! And I'm sorry if there are some spelling mistakes! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy. **

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**CHAPTER 2**

**RPOV**

I was right. The next morning I had ten messages in my inbox and six missed calls. All from Jesse. I deleted them all. When was he going to give up?

I got ready for school and joined Eddie, who was waiting outside. He lived a couple houses away. We always walked together to school. It was a fifteen minute walk and most of the time we were chatting, but I was not in the mood today.

"Hey, is something wrong?" Eddie suddenly asked.

I looked up at him and smiled. "No, I'm fine."

I desperately wanted to change the subject before he'd ask about Jesse so I asked him about Jill.

"You have some explaining to do," I said.

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Last night you seemed disappointed that Jill wasn't there," I said.

"I wasn't," Eddie said quickly. I rose my eyebrows. "I really wasn't," he repeated. "I was, um, just wondering where she was."

"Sure," I said shrugging. "If that's what you want to believe."

"But it's the truth," Eddie said, suddenly looking very nervous. "Why? You think something's going on?"

"No, no. Just…wondering," I said grinning.

He quickly changed the subject. "Now, tell me... How long have you been out there chatting with Belikov?"

"Not that long," I said, feeling slightly uneasy about this topic.

"What did he say?"

"Why are you asking?" I asked.

Eddie shrugged. "Just curious. So?"

"Nothing much. He just said hi and then you came," I lied. "And then he left."

"Who left?"

We were at school by now and I hadn't seen that Lissa had joined us. I looked up at her. "Hi, Liss," I greeted.

"Hey," she said. "What were you talking about? Was it about a guy?" Her face lit up at that last part.

"No."

Lissa rolled her eyes at me. "I heard you were talking about a guy. Who is it? Do you like him?"

"Thanks, Eddie," I said, glaring at him.

He just shrugged.

I didn't want to talk about last night when Dimitri had found me crying. It was already embarrassing enough that he was the one to find me, but I was so not going to admit to my friends that I had been crying last night. I didn't cry. I never did. Well, except for the times I was frustrated. But no one ever saw me crying. Except for Lissa. But that had been a long time ago, when we were still kids. Since then no one had seen me cry. Until last night.

"Well, who's your secret lover?" Lissa teased.

I groaned. "There's no secret lover, Liss. I just ran into Mr. Belikov last night. He said hi and left."

"Oh." Lissa sounded disappointed, but then smiled. "Well, let me know if you find a new love interest."

"I don't think I want a new love interest any time soon," I said darkly. "If they're all going to be like Jesse then I'd rather stay alone."

"You don't mean that," Lissa teased.

Oh, yes, this time I did mean it. "Let's get to class before we're late."

We went to our lockers to get our books. On our way to class, someone bumped into Lissa. She stumbled and almost fell over. I kept her upright and turned around to look at the girl who'd bumped into her. "Hey, watch where you're going!"

The girl turned around. It was Camille. I should've known it was her. She gave me a smug smile and placed her hands on her hips. "Maybe it's _your_ friend who needs to watch where's she's going. She was in _my_ way."

I clenched my fists. "You-"

"Let's go, girls," Camille said to her two friends, Abby and Natalie. Those girls followed her around like they were her shadow.

"Hey, I'm not done yet!" I yelled.

"Let's go, Rose." Lissa tugged at my sleeve. "Let them go. You're only going to get in trouble."

"But-"

"Come on, Rose," Eddie said. "We're going to be late if we don't get going now."

"Fine," I grumbled.

Class was boring, just like always. It was like time stood still. I was so happy when it was time for lunch, because I was starving. I sat down with my friends and kept an eye on Eddie's behavior when Jill came over to sit with us. His face lit up like a Christmas tree when he saw her and he patted the spot next to him. She sat down beside him and gave him a shy smile. If it was possible, Eddie's smile grew even wider. _Sure, Eddie. Nothing's going on. Yeah, right. You can't fool me, my friend. _It was clear, though, that Eddie was not ready to admit his feelings yet, so I'd just leave him alone about it and wait until he wanted to tell me.

The rest of the day was uneventful and so was the rest of the week. Jesse had left me alone these past days, which I was glad for. Maybe he'd finally seen reason and realized that I didn't want anything to do with him.

I was glad when the last school bell rang. I could finally go home and enjoy my lazy weekend. Normally Eddie would walk with me, but today he had to go somewhere. I stayed and chatted with Lissa for a while, making plans for tomorrow, much to Christian's annoyance. After a lot of whining from Christian, they also left.

I turned around and froze when I saw who was walking toward me. Oh God. Not again. I thought this was over. "Shit," I muttered, looking around for help. I wasn't going to find it here, though. The school grounds were empty, except for Jesse and me.

"What took you so long?" he asked. "I have been waiting outside for, like, fifteen minutes."

"I didn't ask you to wait for me," I snapped. "If I remember correctly, I asked you to leave me alone."

He laughed. "You keep saying that, but I know you don't mean that. You're just playing hard to get."

I scoffed. "Sure, Jesse. Keep on dreaming."

I wanted to walk away, but Jesse blocked me. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Home."

"Not without me."

"Didn't you hear me? I want you to leave me alone!" I almost yelled at him. This was getting worse by the day and I was losing my patience. "Get out of my way."

"Why didn't you text me back? I left several messages."

"I have better things to do than answer all your messages. Now let me be. I have to be somewhere."

"Where? Do you have a date?" he asked, looking angry.

"No. I just want to go home. _Alone_."

"You're lying. Where's Eddie? Are you meeting him?" Anger flashed in his eyes. "I knew it. I knew you would-"

"For the last time, there's nothing going on between Eddie and me!" I wanted to leave again, but this time he grabbed my arm and jerked me back. I gasped. "Let go of me!"

"No! Not until you tell me the truth!" he yelled. His fingers tightened around my arm. It hurt. I'd never thought Jesse would be this strong.

I whimpered. "You're hurting me. Please let me go."

But he didn't let go. Instead, he grabbed me tighter and started to shake me. "Tell me the truth!"

At this moment I was actually scared of Jesse. He had never been this angry before nor this violent. I didn't know what to do and I desperately wanted to go. I was about to ask him again to let me go, but then someone else did it for me. That person didn't exactly ask, though.

"Let her go!"

Jesse turned around with me. I gasped when I saw who was standing in front of me. _Oh God. And I thought yesterday was embarrassing…_

"Let her go. _Now_," Dimitri said with authority.

"Who the hell are you?" Jesse said scornfully.

"I'm a teacher here," Dimitri said, his voice hard, "and if you don't let her go right now, I'll call the cops."

Jesse scoffed. "You wouldn't."

"Try me." Dimitri took out his cell phone and that's when Jesse got scared.

"Okay, fine!" he exclaimed, finally letting go of me.

I immediately stepped away from him.

"You heard her," Dimitri said. Man, if looks could kill, Jesse would be dead by now. "She wants you to leave her alone. Then go."

"Who do you think you are? You have no right to say what I should do! This is between Rose and me!"

My voice wavered as I spoke. I was still a little bit shocked. "Just go, Jesse."

He saw that he couldn't win here so he finally gave up. "Fine, I'll go." He glared at Dimitri before he turned to me and whispered in my ear, "Don't think I'm done with you. I'll find you and then we'll finish this conversation."

I shuddered and hugged myself. "Go, Jesse," I whispered. Tears stung in my eyes, but I refused to cry this time.

Jesse stalked off and left me with Dimitri. It was quiet for a few moments and then Dimitri took a step toward me.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked, his voice now gentle.

"I-I'm fine," I lied.

"No, you're not. I can see that you're not fine," Dimitri said. "Did he hurt you?"

"No, I'm alright." Though I might have a couple of bruises tomorrow on my arm.

We fell silent again until Dimitri asked, "Is he always like this?"

I shrugged. "He's jealous and possessive, yeah, but I've never seen him like this before."

Compassion filled Dimitri's face. I could see he wanted to help me, but he just didn't know how. _Well, that makes two of us._

A few moments later he said what I was thinking. "I'd like to help you, but…"

"You don't know how," I finished for him. I laughed, but it was without mirth. "Well, you're not the only one. I don't know what to do either. He just does what he wants."

"Do your parents know about this?"

"I don't want to bother my mother with this. She's got better things to do," I said. "Besides, she likes Jesse and I don't think she would believe me. And, well, my father… I don't know him."

What the hell was I doing? Why was I telling this to my history teacher?

Dimitri was silent for a while and then he extended his hand. "Give me your cell phone."

"Wh-what?" I asked, confused.

But when he didn't say anything else, I handed him my cell phone.

"What are you doing?" I asked when he started to type something on my cell. "You aren't calling my mom, are you?" I exclaimed.

"No," he said calmly as he gave me my cell phone back. "I just put my number in it."

I stared at him, speechless. Was he kidding? "Umm…I don't know how that's going to solve my problem with Jesse, but thanks, I guess," I finally said.

I thought he might crack a smile, but his face stayed serious. "I know it's not going to solve your problem, but if something's wrong, if he bothers you again, then you can call me - or text me, whatever you want. And if he doesn't want to leave, I'll come over myself and make him leave."

"Why?" I asked, dumbfounded. I didn't understand why he would do this for me.

"I'm worried about you," he simply said. "From what you told me and from what I just saw… how that guy was treating you…" He shook his head and sighed. "Just let me know if something's wrong or if he's bothering you again. There should be at least one person you can tell this to."

"But I don't want to trouble you," I protested.

"Rose," he said, his voice stern. "Don't argue with me. You tell your mother and report him or you let me know if something happens again with that guy. Those are your two options."

I sighed, knowing that I couldn't get out of this one. "Fine," I grumbled. "If that's what you want."

I wanted to thank him for helping me out, but he cut me off. "You should go home now. Before it gets dark."

I nodded, turned around and walked away. When I looked over my shoulder, I saw him walking to the parking lot.

As I walked home, I replayed the last few minutes in my head. Dimitri had given me his number. How crazy was that? Was he really that worried about me? It's not like he knew me that well. I was just his student. Maybe he was just being the nice guy he always was and trying to help me out. And I had been a bitch about it. I'd sounded like I didn't appreciate his help.

Later that night, when I was lying in bed, I pondered if I should text him. I still felt bad that I hadn't thanked him for helping me with Jesse. But he'd only said I should call or text him if I was in trouble. Still… I hadn't been nice and I wanted to apologize. I took my cell and then abruptly put it down again. Sighing, I stared at it. _Don't chicken out, Rose. It's just a text._

I glanced at the clock. It was ten in the evening. He was probably still awake so it wouldn't hurt to text him right now. I read my text over and over and then decided it was alright.

_Hey, I wanted to thank you for helping me today. I'm sorry for acting like a bitch earlier. – Rose_

I waited nervously for a response and all the while I felt like an idiot. Why couldn't I have waited until Monday to thank him? Why did I send him a text? Maybe he had a girlfriend and if she'd read this she might get angry at him.

Ten minutes later I got a text back, but when I opened it, I saw it was not from him but Lissa. I felt a little bit disappointed at that. I answered Lissa's text, telling her she could come over tomorrow at ten to study for math.

A couple of minutes later I got another text. I figured it was from Lissa, but this time it was from Dimitri. For some strange reason my heart started beating faster.

_It's alright, Rose. And you're welcome. Did you hear anything from him?_

I immediately knew who he was talking about. I quickly texted him back. _He's called me a couple of times, but I ignored it. _

His answer came swiftly this time. _Well, next time you might want to choose a less jealous boyfriend. You deserve better._

When I read that last sentence, I blushed. I was glad he couldn't see me right now. I responded to his text and just like that, we kept texting and texting. Turns out I had a lot in common with him. Except for the western novels and the 80's music. I could not understand his love for reading and crappy music.

I glanced at the clock and noticed it was after midnight. I told him I was going to sleep now and he wished me goodnight. I even got a smiley from him. I smiled, put my cell phone on my nightstand and lay down. As soon as I closed my eyes, I fell asleep.

**DPOV**

I stared at the last message I got from Rose. _Goodnight, Dimitri._

Sighing, I put my phone away and lay down in bed. What had I been thinking when I gave her my number? I could get in trouble if the school officials found out I gave her my number. _And that you've been texting with her all night._

But what was I supposed to do? I'd seen the look on her face when her ex-boyfriend had grabbed her. She'd looked scared. I knew that she would never admit that, though. That was just the kind of person she was. I'd already been a little worried when I'd found her crying last Sunday. She was the last person of who I thought I'd ever see crying. After what I'd seen today I was even more worried about her. What if I hadn't been there? What if that guy would've done something to her? I still thought it was better if she'd just tell her mom, but that was apparently the last thing she wanted to do. I didn't think she'd tell her friends either. So my only solution had been to give her my number so she could call me if she had trouble with her ex-boyfriend again. But instead, I had been texting with her about random things all night. _Stupid, Dimitri. So, so stupid._

But there was something about Rose, something…special. She had a big mouth in class and an attitude, but I knew she cared about the people she loved and that she would do anything for them. I had seen it the first day I met her in school.

_I was nervous on my first day as the new history teacher. I hoped everything would go well today. I had my first class in the afternoon. The students were all silent when I entered, probably curious who their new teacher would be. Except for one girl. She was talking animatedly to a blonde girl and hadn't noticed me coming in. I cleared my throat and I finally got their attention. The girl turned in her seat, revealing her face. She looked at me expectantly. I couldn't help but thinking that she was really beautiful, with that long dark hair framing her pretty face. _Okay, concentrate, Dimitri!

_Dragging my eyes away from her, I cleared my throat again and introduced myself. "Hello, my name is Dimitri Belikov and I'm your new history teacher."_

_Class went well and I was relieved about that, but when the bell rang and everyone got up, I heard yelling in the hallway. _

"_You bitch! If you touch Lissa one more time, I'll-"_

"_Rose!" I exclaimed. I'd read the list with their names at the start of class and fortunately remembered her name. "What's going on here?" _

"_That bitch pushed Lissa!" Rose said, pointing to another girl who stood a few feet away. _

"_I did not!" the other girl exclaimed. I couldn't remember her name. _

"_Rose, you can't call people like that," I said, my voice stern. _

"_But she pushed Lissa!"_

_I hadn't seen the other girl push Lissa so I couldn't say anything about that. "I don't know if that's true, but I heard you calling…" I looked at the girl, trying to remember her name. _

"_Camille," the girl helped me out, smiling._

"_I heard you calling Camille names and that's not allowed here," I said. _

_She grumbled something I couldn't quite understand. _

"_It's fine, Rose," Lissa said. "Just let it go."_

"_But-"_

_The bell rang again, announcing that class had started again. Rose and Lissa wanted to leave, but I called Rose back. Before I could say anything, she exclaimed, "Why didn't you say something to Camille?"_

"_I didn't see her pushing Lissa," I said calmly, "so I couldn't say something about it. I can't just choose sides."_

"_But Camille is a b-"_

_I gave her a warning look and she stopped just in time, sighing in defeat._

"_If someone's bothering you or Lissa, you should get help instead of fighting back." _

"_That doesn't help. They won't do anything about it. I've complained a lot of times about Camille, but they never punish her for what she does to Lissa."_

"_Well, then tell me next time," I suggested. "Before you start yelling and calling her names in the hallway."_

_She looked at me and then nodded. "Okay. I will," she said. _

"_You should get to class now," I said. _

_She turned around and started walking. Looking over her shoulder, she said, "Bye, Dimitri!" _

"_It's Mr. Belikov for you," I called after her. _

_She just shrugged and grinned. And she'd never stopped calling me Dimitri since then, even though I'd told her over and over that she shouldn't call me with my first name. _

A year later, I had stopped with my attempt to let her call me Mr. Belikov. It was useless. She did what she wanted to, always happy and full of life. Seeing her smile, made me want to smile though I kept my face serious around her – well, most of the time.

And that night when I'd found her crying… I'd felt so bad for her and I was worried. After today it seemed that my worry wasn't for nothing. If she didn't want to tell anyone else about that guy, then at least I hoped she would trust me enough to tell me if she had trouble with him. Now that I'd seen how that guy really was, I could understand why she was desperate to get away from him. If he'd hurt her…

I suddenly noticed I was clenching my fists and quickly unclenched them. _Okay, Dimitri. Stop thinking about her. You shouldn't be thinking about her that way. Don't get emotionally involved. Stay professional. She's your student. You're her teacher._

I sighed. Convincing myself I was just worried about Rose and that was it, I turned the lights out and went to sleep, leaving my worries for tomorrow.

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	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you for all the reviews! I'm sorry it took me so long to update! I have exams so I won't be able to update much the next two weeks, but I'll do my best and try to post another chapter in a few days. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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**CHAPTER 3**

**RPOV**

I woke abruptly when the doorbell rang. I groaned and ignored it, figuring that whoever was at the door would leave, but then the bell rang again. Sighing, I got up and went to open the door in my PJs.

"What took you so long?" Lissa asked. She took in my attire and raised her eyebrows. "And why are you still in your PJs?"

I frowned. "What are you doing here so early in the morning?"

"Early? It's ten o'clock! We agreed that I would come over at ten to study math together," Lissa said.

"Did we?" I asked. I shrugged. "Well, come on in, then."

After I'd showered and changed, I went back to my room where Lissa was waiting for me. Her books were already open on my desk. I took my books and then we started studying. It was really boring and I wanted to give up after ten minutes, but Lissa forced me to study with her. After half an hour my phone buzzed. And two minutes later again. And again. And again.

"Who's texting you the whole time?" Lissa said annoyed.

"Jesse," I said, not even bothering to look at my phone.

"Oh my God! Will he ever stop?" Lissa exclaimed.

I shrugged. "It's just a text, Liss," I said. "It could be worse. He could come over."

Lissa snorted. "I hope not." I got another text and she let out a sigh. "It's really annoying."

"Sorry," I mumbled.

Then a grin crossed Lissa's face. "Can I reply?"

Before I could protest, she took my phone. "Hey! Give it back," I exclaimed.

"Why? Do you have some secret?" she teased as she looked through my phone.

"No," I said. "Why would I have a-"

"Wow. You have a lot of messages from Jesse," she said, eyes wide.

"Yeah, can I have my phone back?" I asked impatiently.

Then her eyes grew even wider. "Oh my God! Is that – you got Mr. Belikov's number?"

"No, that's a different Dimitri," I lied, still trying to pry my phone from her hands, but she wouldn't give it.

Lissa gave me a dry look. "It says 'Dimitri Belikov'." She looked down at the screen again. "And apparently you've been texting a lot with him last night," she added.

She looked at me again and finally handed me my phone back. And I learned a new lesson: never put your phone on the table when Lissa is here.

"Care to explain?" she said.

I tried to think of something, but nothing came to my mind. "I, um…well, it's a long story. I don't want to bother you with it."

"I'm your best friend, Rose!" she exclaimed, outraged. "Tell me what's going on!"

"Nothing's going on," I said, trying to stay calm.

"Don't give me that crap. Tell me the truth. Is something going on between you and him?"

"No way!" I exclaimed. "He's way too old."

"He isn't that old," Lissa countered.

"So what?" I said. "You have to believe me when I say that there's _nothing_ going on between us."

"Okay then," Lissa said. "Then what is going on?"

I sighed. "Fine, I'll tell you. But please, don't make a big deal about this." After all, she was my best friend and she deserved the truth.

"I won't," she promised.

"Remember when I left the café last Sunday?" I started. If I was going to tell her, I'd better tell her everything. She nodded and I continued with my story. "Well, I was frustrated and I, um... I needed a moment alone. And then Dimitri saw me and I was crying and…"

Lissa looked at me with compassion. "Because of Jesse?" she asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. He really was getting on my nerves. But anyway, Dimitri asked me what was wrong and I told him about Jesse. And then, he cheered me up a little."

"That was nice of him," Lissa said smiling.

I nodded. "Yesterday, when you guys left, Jesse showed up. And he was being a prick again. But this time he was kind of aggressive, too. He grabbed me and…"

Lissa gasped. "Did he hurt you?"

"No, though his grip did hurt a little," I admitted. "But then Dimitri showed up and he chased Jesse away. He was worried about me and gave me his number. He told me I should call him the next time Jesse's bothering me again."

"That is so nice of him to do," Lissa said, astonished. "But that doesn't explain why you've been texting with him," she added, giving me a pointed look.

"I had been a bitch to him when he wanted to help me and I felt bad about it so I texted him to apologize," I told her. "And then we started talking..." I shrugged. "That's it. Can we continue with math now? I'd really like to pass for this test."

Lissa smiled. "No, you're just trying to change the subject."

"I'm not. I just don't know what there's left to talk about," I said.

"Sure." Lissa gave me an odd look and then turned to her books again.

"What?" I asked.

She shrugged. "Nothing."

"Tell me," I demanded.

"I'm guessing you didn't talk all night about Jesse, huh?" she said, looking up again from her book.

"No. I thought I just told you that," I said frowning.

She smiled again.

"What?" I repeated.

"Maybe he likes you," she said.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah right, Liss."

"And maybe you like him," she teased.

I started laughing. "Okay, I hope this is a joke."

"I'm not joking."

My face fell. "Oh." She just sat there, smiling at me. "Come on, Liss. I told you, I am sick of guys at the moment. They're all silly and childish and stupid."

"But Mr. Belikov is older and not childish anymore."

"Did you forget he's my teacher?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"I didn't," she said. "I hope _you_ didn't forget."

I frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?" She didn't say anything else, but the smile stayed on her face. I, on the other hand, was getting grumpy. "Let's just finish math."

The rest of the day neither of us mentioned Dimitri or Jesse.

After that day Lissa didn't make any comments about Dimitri anymore. I figured she'd only said those things to tease me. She hadn't meant it. I was glad about that, because honestly, how crazy would that be? There was no way Dimitri liked me and I sure as hell didn't like him that way. Though, I had to admit, something had changed since that night. He really had been nice to me and a part of me had liked that. And since Lissa made that comment about him liking me, I couldn't stop thinking about him. But that made no sense, because I didn't like him. Or did I? _No, you don't, Rose. And remember, he's older than you and your teacher. Don't even think about it._ This was all Lissa's fault. She shouldn't have said those things. It had made me think. And I didn't like to think. Certainly not about those kind of things.

But what else did I have to think about during class? It was so boring and I had nothing else to do. Apparently I'd completely spaced out and didn't hear Ms. Hale dismissing us.

"Where were you?" Eddie classed.

"In class," I replied dryly. "Just like you."

He rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean."

I took my stuff and followed Eddie out while busy as I organized my pile of papers. I wasn't watching where I was going and bumped into him and dropped my papers. "Oops, sorry, Eddie." I looked up and saw it wasn't Eddie I'd bumped into but Dimitri. Shit. I flushed crimson red. "Sorry. I thought you were Eddie."

"No problem, Rose," Dimitri said, giving me a half smile. He picked up my papers from the floor and handed them to me. I was too stunned to take them back. "Are you okay?" he asked.

I blinked. "Yeah, sure. I'm fine." I finally took my papers from his hands. A warm current ran through my body when my fingers touched his briefly. "Thanks," I said, giving him a small smile.

He smiled back and I blushed again. _Damn it, Rose! You never blush._

"Are you sure you're okay?" Dimitri asked, a small frown on his face. "Did he…bother you again?"

"No," I said. "He didn't come over to my house this time so that's a good sign, I guess. Just a couple of texts." He'd come over a few times the past couple of weeks, but I had refused to open the door. Maybe he'd figured out I was not going to open the door for him.

Dimitri raised his eyebrow when I said that Jesse hadn't come to my house this time, but didn't comment on that. "Okay. Hopefully he stays away."

I glanced at Eddie, who was waiting for me a couple of feet away. He watched us and had a curious look on his face.

"Um, I should go," I told Dimitri. "Bye."

I turned around and heard him say softly, "Bye, Rose."

I resisted the urge to look back and kept walking toward Eddie.

"What was that?" Eddie asked.

I stopped in front of him and shrugged, trying to appear careless. "Nothing. Just bumped into him and dropped my papers."

"I saw that."

"Then why are you asking?" I said, irritated.

"Did you say something? Because he's still looking at you," Eddie said.

He was? I looked back and saw Dimitri looking at me. Our eyes met briefly and then he went inside the classroom. Why did he go in there? That was not a history classroom, but a biology classroom and Ms. Hale was still in there. Or did he need to see Ms. Hale?

"You didn't say something that made him mad, did you?"

"Huh? No," I said distractedly.

"What are your looking at?" Eddie asked.

"Nothing," I said quickly. I turned away and started walking again. "Let's go. I'm hungry."

Eddie laughed. "When are you not?"

We joined Lissa and Christian, who were sticking their tongues down each other's throats. I cleared my throat, but they didn't hear me. I sighed and then smacked the back of Christian's head. Finally, he broke away from Lissa.

"You guys are disgusting," I said.

"So are you," Christian commented.

I resisted the urge to smack him again and sat down across from them. Mia and Mason joined us a little bit later. Mason went to get his lunch and I asked him sweetly to bring me some donuts.

"Go do it yourself," he said, laughing.

"Please," I said, batting my eyelashes. Unfortunately, it didn't work on him.

"Hey, that's my boyfriend," Mia exclaimed.

I grinned. "Sorry, Mia. Just want my donuts."

"I'll get them for you," Eddie said.

"Aww, thank you, Eddie!" I said, smiling brightly at him. "You're the best."

"I know," he said grinning.

He got back a few moments later with three donuts. I ate two of them and ate the last one on my way back home from school. Eddie walked beside me, looking straight ahead. He seemed distracted.

"What's on your mind?" I asked him.

He looked up. "Huh?"

I laughed. "You were daydreaming. Again."

"Sorry," he said.

"Don't be sorry," I said, licking the chocolate from my fingers. "So, who were you thinking of?" I wiggled my eyebrows. "A girl?"

He blushed. "No."

"You can't lie to me, Eddie," I said teasingly.

"I'm not lying!" he exclaimed.

"Then why are you blushing?"

Eddie looked at the ground and didn't say anything. We came to a stop in front of my house and he finally said, his voice quiet: "I wasn't thinking of a girl."

"No, not just any girl, huh?" I teased. "You were thinking about someone special."

"I wasn't," he mumbled.

I sighed and let it go. He wasn't going to tell me in a hundred years if I was going to keep teasing him like this.

"I got to go," Eddie said. "See you tomorrow, Rose."

I gave him a hug and smiled. "See you."

I watched him go and then went to the front door. My mom wasn't home yet, which I didn't mind so much. Now I could lounge on the couch for a while and watch some TV.

"Hey."

Startled, I turned around and gasped. "Jesse, what are you doing here?"

He smirked. "Did I scare you?"

My voice wavered. "N-no. Of course not."

Our last encounter was still fresh in my memory. If it wasn't for Dimitri, Jesse might have hurt me. But now I didn't have Dimitri to protect me. I knew from the look on his face that he was thinking the same thing.

"You sure?" he said still smirking. "Because this time you're precious teacher isn't here to protect you."

I swallowed. What was wrong with me? If any other guy would have said this to me, I would've probably punched him right now. But with Jesse… I was scared. I wasn't one to be scared, but I was with him. He was a creep and I didn't know what he was capable of. He didn't seem so strong, but he definitely was.

"I… I don't need any protection," I stammered.

"Sure, baby."

"Don't call me that," I snapped.

He took a step closer. "I can call you whatever I want," he hissed.

I stepped back and my back hit the wall. "Go away, Jesse."

"Not before you answer some questions."

"I don't have time for this," I said. "Go away or I'll call my mom." _No, not her._ _Dimitri… Call Dimitri!_

He laughed. "And tell her what? You don't even have the courage to tell her we broke up. You know why? Because she likes me."

I bit my lip. He knew I didn't tell my mom yet. Right now, I wish I had told her. And I wish she didn't like Jesse. That would've made it so much easier.

"I will tell her. And once I do, she won't be happy to see you here. So I think it's best if you don't ever come here again if you want to keep your balls attached to your body," I said defiantly. I hoped this would scare him, but he only laughed.

"Are you threatening me?" he asked, clearly amused.

"Just go, Jesse," I said, gritting my teeth. "We are done." I turned to the door again. Just as I was about to open it, Jesse grabbed me and pulled me back. I yelped and clawed at his hands. "What are you doing?!"

"Are you together with Eddie?" he hissed in my ear.

"No! How many times do I have to tell you!"

"Don't lie to me, bitch! I've seen you two.. You hugged him!"

"Eddie's my friend," I spit out. "I hug him all the time." That was probably not the smartest thing to say.

"If he touches you again, I'll kill him!"

Jesse might be creepy and violent, but I knew he'd never do anything to Eddie. He was very strong and he would kick Jesse's ass in a matter of seconds.

"Let me go!" I screamed. Wasn't there anyone out here who could see us? Who could help me out? I clawed at his hand again. "Let me go!"

"Stop yelling!" Jesse put his hand over my mouth.

He pushed me hard against the wall. My head hit the corner and I felt something warm trickle down my face. His hand was still over my mouth. I bit in it. He yelped and let go of me. I turned around and kneed him in the stomach. He grunted and clutched his stomach. I turned around again, opened the door and ran inside. Closing the door behind me, I quickly locked it and sank down on the floor.

"Let me in!" Jesse yelled. "Let me in, you bitch!"

Tears ran down my face. I stayed on the floor and listened to Jesse screaming for me to open the door. Why didn't he just leave? I took my cell phone and contemplated on calling Dimitri. He would help me. I knew he would, but what could he do? He could chase Jesse away, but then Jesse could come back again later. And Dimitri would probably try to convince me again that I should tell my mom or report Jesse to the police. I didn't want Jesse in jail or anything – not that that was going to happen – I just wanted him to leave me alone.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, I could no longer hear Jesse's voice. He was gone. I sighed in relief and got up. My head hurt. I felt a bump and when I looked at my fingers, I saw they were covered in blood. I went to the bathroom and examined my face. It was just a small bump, which I was glad for. My hair was sticky from the blood. I sighed and started cleaning my face, hoping my mom wouldn't notice it when she got home. But that was just wishful thinking. I also had a bruise on my cheek. I didn't even know how I got that one. I would have to come up with a good lie if I didn't want my mom to find out who did this to me.

As I'd expected, the first thing my mom asked when she was home was, "Oh my God, Rose! What happened?"

"I fell," I said, shrugging casually. "I wasn't looking and I tripped over someone's bag."

"Are you alright?" she asked.

I nodded. "It's not that bad, really. It's just a small bump."

"What's that bruise?" she asked.

"I got that too when I fell."

Now she knew that I was fine, she turned to her normal self. "Next time you should watch where you're going," she said curtly. "One of these days you're going to break your neck."

I rolled my eyes. I wasn't _that_ clumsy. And this time I didn't have a bruise because of my clumsiness. "Yeah, yeah. I know. I'm going to bed. I'm tired."

"Did you eat?"

"Yes, of course," I said indignantly. I never skipped a meal.

"Okay then. Good night."

"Good night," I murmured.

I lay awake for hours, thinking about what had happened with Jesse this afternoon. I'd never been this scared in my entire life and now I was even more scared for what Jesse would do the next time he saw me.

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**Poor Rose. What would Dimitri say about the bruise the next time he sees her? And what about Lissa? Does she still think Dimitri might like Rose? **

**Please leave me a review and tell me if you liked this chapter :) **

**I'll try to post the next chapter as soon as possible. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you for all the reviews! I don't think I've ever had this much reviews for one chapter so thank you very much! Anyway, here's the next chapter and I hope you'll like it! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy. **

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**CHAPTER 4**

**RPOV**

When my friends saw my face the next day, I fed them the same lie that I'd given my mom. Only, this time I said that I had fallen down the stairs. This made Christian laugh pretty hard and I had to resist the urge to smack him. I took a deep breath and looked away from him before I couldn't control myself anymore and strangled him.

Eddie looked at me with worry, but didn't say anything. Lissa, on the other hand, looked at me with suspicion. I hoped she believed me and didn't think that Jesse had something to do with it. But, luckily, she didn't question my story.

"Are you okay?" she asked concerned.

"Yes, I'm fine, Liss," I said smiling. "Just wish my make-up would cover it up completely."

"It doesn't look that bad," she said, trying to cheer me up.

Unfortunately, not everyone was so easy to convince. When I went to history class with Eddie, Dimitri's eyes widened when he noticed the bruise on my cheek. Quickly, I looked away and sat down on my spot, near the window. When he came to collect my homework, I felt his gaze on me, but I refused to look up. I relaxed when he went back to the front of the classroom. I took my textbook and hid behind it for the remainder of class. When it was over and the bell rang, I tried to get out as fast as possible, but Dimitri called me just before I was out of the door.

"Rose, could you come here for a second?"

_Damn._ I sighed and turned around.

Eddie stood in the doorway and looked at me. "Do you want me to wait here?"

"No, it's okay. You go ahead. I'll catch up with you later," I said, giving him what was supposed to be a reassuring smile.

Eddie hesitated, but then nodded and left. Dimitri closed the door behind him and turned around.

"What is the problem?" I asked. "I really need to be somewhere, so if you don't mind-"

"Sit down," Dimitri said.

I was surprised by his fierce tone and quickly sat down. He sat down across from me, his eyes never leaving my face. I looked down nervously. I wanted to say something, but I didn't know what. So I waited until he spoke and hoped I would be able to fool him.

"What happened?" Dimitri finally asked, his voice soft.

"I fell," I lied.

"You're lying, Rose. You might be able to trick your friends, but not me."

I dared a peek at him. "How do you know that I'm lying?"

"I can tell," he said.

How could he tell? How did he know I was lying when my friends and my mom had believed me so easily? They all knew me better than him, but they hadn't figured out I wasn't telling the truth. Only Dimitri could see through my lie. How was that possible?

"Now tell me the truth," Dimitri said. "What happened?" I didn't say anything so he continued, "It was Jesse, wasn't it?"

"N-no," I stammered.

His jaw clenched. "Rose, stop lying to me."

I looked down again. I wasn't going to get out of here anytime soon if I didn't tell him the truth. I looked at him again and mumbled, "Fine, it was Jesse. But it's nothing. It was an accident."

"An accident?" Dimitri questioned, raising an eyebrow. "You expect me to believe that?"

"Well..." I cleared my throat and tried to figure out how I was going to explain this. "He showed up at my house yesterday and he got angry. He grabbed me and then pushed me. I hit the wall with my head, but I don't think he meant to do that."

"So he apologized to you after he hurt you?" Dimitri asked, looking doubtful.

"No," I admitted. "He just grabbed me again, but I broke away and I went inside before he could go after me. He kept yelling for me to open the door." A tear leaked out of the corner of my eye and I quickly wiped it away. "I didn't and he finally left."

"I suppose you haven't told your mom that he hurt you," Dimitri said.

I shook my head. "I can't tell her, Dimitri."

"What about the police-"

"I can't go to the cops either," I interrupted him. "My mom is a cop too, you know. If she finds out Jesse hurt me, she'll force me to go report him – if she believes me of course, because she really likes Jesse and she thinks he's perfect," I muttered, more to myself than to him. I cleared my throat again and continued, "And if I go to the cops, they'll tell my mom. Besides, it's not going to do any good."

"Why wouldn't it do any good?" Dimitri asked. "Maybe you could get a restraining order against him."

"No, that's not going to work," I said sighing. Tears stung in my eyes and I quickly blinked them away. "He's a sweet talker. He'll say it was an accident. He'll just get a warning."

"Rose… you have to tell your mother," Dimitri said, his face grave. "You can't go on like this."

"But I just said that-"

"You are her daughter. Of course she'll believe you."

"But…"

"Come on, Rose," Dimitri said, his voice suddenly getting loud. "He hurt you! He gave you a bruise! He's not going to stop if you don't report him! Why can't you understand that?"

I could see he was getting angry. I didn't know if he was angry at me or about the fact that Jesse had hurt me. I hoped he wasn't angry at me. I didn't want him to be. He was the only one I could talk to about this. If he was angry at me, then who could I go to?

My bottom lip started to quiver. "I'm scared that if I tell my mother or the cops, he'll only get angrier. He won't do anything if someone else is with me, but when I'm alone… I don't know what he'll do next. I-I'm scared of him." This time I couldn't stop the tears running down my cheeks.

Suddenly, Dimitri's arms wrapped around me. I was surprised at first, but then I couldn't contain myself anymore and started sobbing in his chest.

"Shh, it's going to be okay, Rose," he whispered as he stroked my hair. "You're going to be fine. I'm sorry I yelled at you. I didn't mean to. Shh, you'll be fine, Rose. I'm here for you."

He let me cry until I was done. I looked away, a little embarrassed that I'd cried in front of him like this, but then again, he'd already seen me cry.

"Why didn't you call me?" Dimitri asked. "I told you that you could call me if he bothered you again."

"I know," I said sniffling. "I wanted to, but… What was I supposed to tell you? I know you'd help me if you could, but there's nothing you can do."

"I'm sorry that I can't help you more," he said quietly. "But I want to be here for you, if you let me."

I looked up at him. He gave me a small smile and lifted his hand to wipe away a tear on my cheek. My heart started beating faster at his touch.

"Why do you care so much?" I asked.

"I hate to see you like this," Dimitri said. "You try to hide it from your friends and your mom, but I can see that this thing with Jesse is making you sad. You used to be so happy all the time. I want to see you happy again." His intense gaze made me feel dizzy. "You deserve it and you deserve someone who treats you right."

I gave him a small smile. "Thank you."

"It's not good to keep this all inside. Maybe it's a good idea if you tell this to someone you trust, one of your friends maybe-"

"I trust you," I blurted out. Dimitri's brown eyes gazed into mine. I didn't know what he was thinking and for a moment I was afraid he'd say that I should go to someone else with my problems. "I mean, I already told you everything," I quickly added. "And like I said before, I don't want to tell my friends. I don't want them to think I'm weak."

"You're not weak, Rose," Dimitri replied after a few moments of silence. "Nobody will think you're weak because you're frightened of Jesse."

I swallowed and looked down again.

He sighed and said, "I still think you should go to the cops with this, or tell your mom, but I can't force you. So… I want you to promise me that you'll call me next time something happens. Then at least you don't have to deal with it alone. Can you promise me that, Rose?"

I looked at him again. I hesitated for a moment, but then said, "Yes."

"You mean it this time?" he asked.

"Yes. I promise."

And this time I meant it.

**DPOV**

I watched as Rose left the classroom. Sighing, I ran a hand through my hair. How was I supposed to help her? I wanted to, but I didn't know how. I couldn't force her to tell her mother. I couldn't force her to go to the cops. The only thing I could do was comfort her and be there for her if she wanted to talk.

When she'd entered the classroom, I could only stare at her face, at the bruise on her cheek. I'd figured it had something to do with her ex-boyfriend and my suspicions had been confirmed when she'd finally admitted it to me. I wish she would have come to me on her own to tell me this. She'd said she would call me if something had happened with Jesse, but she hadn't. I had to figure it out myself. Now that I knew what had happened, I was even more worried. And pissed off. How dare he? How dare he hurt her and treat her with so little respect? I swear, if I ever saw that guy again… He better didn't hurt her a second time or so help me, I would kill the bastard. I noticed I'd clenched my fists and I quickly relaxed them.

When I was calmed down, my worry took over again. I couldn't believe how afraid he had made her. So afraid that she didn't dare to do anything against him. He must have really creeped her out if she was so scared. And when she'd started crying… I knew that hugging her wasn't the best idea since I'm her teacher, but I couldn't help myself. She'd looked so sad and I'd desperately wanted to make her feel better. I didn't know where this urge to comfort her came from, but something in the back of my mind told me that I cared more for her than I should. Which was ridiculous. _But is it ridiculous?_ _You've always liked her and you were attracted to her since the day you met her._

Yeah, but attraction didn't mean that I had feelings for her. Because that would be really ridiculous and not to mention stupid. I knew someone who'd had an affair with his student and that didn't end very well. Turned out the girl had only used him to get better grades and once she'd finished high school, she'd ditched him. _But Rose isn't like that._

I gave myself a mental slap. _Does it matter if she's like that or not? You don't like her like that! Focus on the problem here, Dimitri! What are you going to do to help Rose?_

But there wasn't anything I could do. I could scare the guy away if I ever saw him again – if I could stop myself from beating the crap out of him, at least – but what good would that do? He'd probably just get mad at Rose again.

I sighed again. What bothered me was that none of her friends had figured out what had really happened. Was she that good at hiding her emotions with her friends? I was glad, though, that she trusted me enough to tell me what had happened between her and Jesse yesterday.

I looked at the clock and saw that I'd been sitting here for a while now. I got up, took my things and left. Rose would probably be home right now, but I wanted to be sure she'd gotten there safely so I took out my cell phone and texted her.

This was probably another bad idea, but I needed to know if she was okay. I got nervous when she didn't text back right away. When I got home and I still didn't have a text from her, I contemplated on calling her. But before I could do that, my phone buzzed. She'd finally replied.

_I'm fine. Jesse wasn't at my house when I got there. Thanks for asking._

I sighed in relief. _Okay. You know what to do when he bothers you again. Don't forget._

_I know, I know. I'll tell you immediately._

I knew that she'd roll her eyes if she would be standing in front of me now. _I'm not kidding, Rose_, I replied.

_Me neither. I promised I'd tell you. And I'm fine now. Don't worry._

I knew for a fact that she wasn't fine at all. I'd seen it less than an hour ago in my classroom. I hated it that there was nothing I could do for her. I could go to the police behind her back, but then she would probably hate me if she found out. Besides, I didn't have any evidence. I could tell the cops that Jesse had hurt her, but if she said it wasn't true, they wouldn't believe me and nothing would change. I was powerless here. Frustrated, I decided to go for a run to cool off, hoping it would clear my head.

**RPOV**

Days passed and I hadn't heard from Jesse since the last time. My bruise had faded, but it was still visible if I hadn't any make-up on. I'd finally found the courage to tell my mom that I'd broken up with Jesse a few days ago. She'd been asking me why he didn't come over anymore and I'd finally admitted we were over. I hadn't told her about the stalking and the threats, though. She'd already had a hard time processing that Jesse and I were done. One step at a time. I still wasn't so sure, though, if I wanted to tell her that Jesse had changed in some jealous, aggressive, crazy person.

Dimitri might think I wasn't weak, but I didn't agree with him. I was weak and in order to get stronger, I needed to solve this on my own, without help from my mom – yeah, okay, I wouldn't solve it completely on my own because Dimitri was adamant on helping me. I'd told him that I could do this on my own, but I was actually glad that I could go to him if I needed his help. He'd been so nice to me when I'd told him how I'd really gotten that bruise. He'd comforted me and told me everything would be okay. And in that moment, that was all I'd needed.

No one had ever been this concerned about me and I'd liked it that for once someone wanted to comfort and take care of me. It had always been me who had to take care of everyone else. If someone had a problem, I would deal with it. I would sacrifice myself for the other. But when I had a problem, they all thought that I could deal with it on my own.

That's why I was glad I had Dimitri. I knew I could trust him with this. I'd been afraid, though, that he'd get tired of me whining about Jesse, but every time I saw him in school, he'd look at me with concern and, if possible, he'd ask me if I was okay. There had never been a guy before who'd been so concerned for my well-being.

That was not entirely true, though. Eddie would be as much as concerned for me If I told him what had happened with Jesse. He would probably beat the crap out of Jesse. But that was not what I needed. I needed someone to talk to and Eddie wasn't the right guy for that. Yeah, I could talk to him about random stuff, but not about my feelings. That was more Lissa's department. But she was so busy with Christian she hardly had any time for me anymore. I felt a little jealous at that, but I didn't want to come between them. Christian made Lissa happy and that was all I wanted for her. I also didn't want to trouble her with my problems.

"I saw Jesse today."

"Huh?" I said, blinking.

"I saw Jesse today," my mom repeated. We were sitting in the living room, watching TV, but my mind had wandered off. "At the grocery shop. He asked me how you're doing."

I stiffened. "What did you say?" I asked, my voice tight.

She shrugged. "I said that you were fine. He looked bad, though."

"What do you mean?"

"I think he misses you," she said.

I snorted and crossed my arms, focusing on the TV again.

My mom sighed. "Why don't you give him another chance?"

"I can't."

"Why not? What is the reason you broke up with him anyway?" she asked, suddenly curious.

I shrugged. "He…he isn't who I thought he was." That wasn't even a lie.

"What do you mean? He is nice, good-looking and funny. Not to mention rich."

"Then why don't _you_ date him?" I snapped. My mom rose her eyebrows at my snappy retort. "Sorry," I mumbled. "I just don't want to talk about him, okay?"

"Fine," she said. "But let me say one more thing."

"What is it?" I grumbled.

"At least talk to him and then make your final decision," she said. "He told me he would like to see you again. I said that he could come over if-"

"No!" I exclaimed. I almost flew out of the couch. "No, you can't let him come over!"

My mom was surprised at my outburst. "Why not? You haven't been fighting with him, have you?"

I sighed. "No, but it's over. I already made my decision and I think it's best if we don't see each other again. So, please, don't let him come here."

She eyed me warily, but then said shrugging, "Okay. If that's what you want."

"Thank you," I said.

"Rose, is there something going on that I don't know of?" she asked me.

"No. Why?" I asked cautiously.

"You are acting so strange. And when I mentioned him, you went rigid."

"Everything is fine, Mom," I lied. "Nothing to worry about. It's just like I said, I don't like to talk about him." My mom eyed me suspiciously and I quickly continued, "Well, I better go to bed. Tomorrow's a school day after all. Good night, Mom."

"Good night, Rose."

I darted out of the living room before she could question me more about Jesse. The last thing I wanted was for her to find out about him threatening me.

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	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you for all the reviews! I'm glad you like this story so far. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy. **

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**CHAPTER 5**

**RPOV**

The weekend was finally here, which I was glad for. School had been hectic this week and I needed to blow of some steam. I was hoping to do something fun with Lissa this weekend, like shopping or going to the movies, but she'd already planned something with Christian. I could go to Eddie, but I figured that wasn't the best idea if Jesse decided to follow me around and if he'd see me with Eddie… Yeah, that would probably piss him off. _Since when are you such a chicken, Hathaway? Man up!_

I got up from my bed and started pacing. Should I go to Eddie or not? I wanted to, but it was still early in the morning and I knew he liked to sleep in on the weekends. I glanced at the clock again and sighed. I was too keyed up to go back to bed so I decided to go for a run. It had been a while so I might as well do something about my condition. I put my comfy sweatpants on, a shirt and a warm sweater. I knew I would take off the sweater after a couple of minutes of running, but I would need it after my run. Otherwise I'd freeze to death in this cold weather.

I left a note for my mom in the kitchen and then left as quiet as possible. I put my earbuds in and started running toward the park. I loved running there, especially in the mornings. At this hour it would be still quiet and deserted. I would be alone for a moment and have time to think. Unfortunately, I didn't have much opportunities to run this early in the morning because most of the times I couldn't get out of my bed.

"What the hell is this shit?" I murmured when I heard a song on my iPod that I definitely hadn't put on there. This sounded more like Lissa's genre. She had borrowed my iPod when she'd lost hers and she'd given it back to me yesterday. I'd had no idea she'd put her crappy music on it. "Damn it, Lissa. Where's the rest of my music?" I took my iPod out of my pocket and started scrolling. No. It was all Britney Spears now. I groaned. _Unbelievable._

Suddenly, I bumped into something massive. I yelped and fell down on my butt. Ouch. That hurt!

"Are you okay?" someone asked.

"I would be if you'd watched where you were going!" I snapped.

"You're clearly not a morning person."

Startled, I looked up when I recognized that voice. _Oh shit._

"And it was _you_ who bumped into _me_, Rose," he added as he crouched down next to me.

I stared at Dimitri, who looked at me with an amused expression on his face. Luckily, he wasn't mad at me for bumping into him and then snapping at him.

"Sorry," I said. "It wouldn't have happened, though, if you hadn't been standing on the middle of the road."

He arched an eyebrow and gestured around him. "This is not the middle of the road. I was stretching on the grass and you're now lying on the grass because _you_ weren't looking where you were going."

"I know, I know. It was my fault," I grumbled. "Sorry."

He smiled and looked down at me. I felt like a dwarf compared to him.

"It's alright. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said.

He helped me up and I grimaced. My butt still hurt.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

I nodded. "I'm okay. What are you doing here this early in the morning?"

"I could ask you the same thing," he said, still amused. "I was running until you bumped into me."

His smile made my heart flutter. Why was that? I hadn't noticed before, but, wow, did he look good in those shorts and that shirt. He sure had a lot of muscles. _Rose, what the hell are you thinking?! That guy is your teacher. Your_ older _teacher._

"Do you run a lot?" I asked to distract myself. "I've never seen you here before."

"I come here at least three times a week," he said. "Always in the morning, though. Then it's still quiet."

"Oh, that's why I haven't seen you here before. I'm early today, but most of the time I can't get out of my bed."

He chuckled. "Why am I not surprised by this?"

"Hey, I'm not lazy, if that's what you think. Why would I run if I was lazy, huh?" I said, crossing my arms.

"I don't think you're lazy," Dimitri said. He picked up my iPod and gave it to me. "You dropped this."

"Oh, thanks. I hope it's still working," I mumbled as I stuffed it into my pocket.

Dimitri studied me for a moment. "Are you okay? I mean, with-"

I immediately knew what he was referring to. "Yeah. I'm okay," I said, giving him a small smile. He just nodded. After a few moments of silence I added, "I took your advice and told my mom, you know."

"What did she say?" Dimitri asked.

I told him about her reaction and how she'd tried to change my mind. As I told him, we walked toward a bench to sit down. I sat down carefully, because my butt was still a little bit sore. "I didn't tell her that he threatened me, though. She's still in shock that I broke up with him. If I tell her that too, she'll have a stroke," I joked.

"You should tell her eventually," Dimitri said.

I sighed. "I guess. But I don't want to. Maybe he'll leave me alone after a while. Then I don't have to tell her."

"I hope so," Dimitri said, "but you told me that you broke up with him more than a month ago. He still texts you and shows up at your house and school. I don't know if he's going to stop so soon."

I groaned and pulled at my hair in frustration. "What is wrong with me?" I exclaimed. "Why can't I attract normal guys? Why am I always stuck with the freaks?"

"Hey, calm down," Dimitri said gently as he pried my hands away from my hair. "There's nothing wrong with you. There are probably tons of guys who'd like to go out with you. _Normal _guys," he added quickly when he saw the look on my face. "You just got to know for sure that they're not unstable or crazy before you start dating them." He looked at me with amusement when he said that last thing. I narrowed my eyes at him and nudged him. He started laughing.

"Oh, you're so funny," I said sarcastically.

"I'm sorry," he said and his face became serious again. There was no trace of humor in his eyes now. "But it's true. You should be careful. They can just pretend to be nice and then turn into someone like…"

"Like Jesse," I finished for him.

"Yes. You can't be careful enough. But I meant what I said. Before I made that bad joke." There was his smile again. It lit up his whole face and made him even more beautiful.

Reluctantly, a smile crept over my face. "Thank you. That's nice of you."

Then I noticed he was still holding my hands. He noticed it too and quickly let go of them. I cleared my throat and looked away, suddenly nervous. What the hell was going on with me?

Suddenly, my stomach grumbled. Dimitri looked at me and I wished the ground would swallow me up right now.

"Hungry?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Damn it! How did he do that? I had seen him do this plenty of times and I'd tried to do it too, but all my attempts failed.

"Yes," I admitted sheepishly. I looked for my wallet in my pockets, but then realized I'd forgotten it at home. I cursed.

"What's wrong?" Dimitri asked.

"Forgot my wallet," I said. "Damn. Now I have to wait until I get home."

"I'll buy you something."

I looked at him, surprised. "No! You don't have to do that."

"It's fine," he said. "I'm hungry too."

"Really, it's okay-"

"Are you coming with me or are you staying here while I go eat something?" Dimitri said grinning.

I weighed my options. I could stay here and look at Dimitri eating a sandwich while I starved to death or I could go home, but that would take a while. Or… I could take his offer.

Dimitri waited in front of me, his arms crossed. "So, what are you going to do?"

"Fine," I said reluctantly. "But I'll pay you back."

"Don't worry about it."

Fifteen minutes later we had our food and we returned to the bench again. It was very easy to forget that he was my teacher. I had to keep reminding myself that over and over again as we talked. He seemed more like a friend than a teacher. He told me some things about his family and hometown, Baia. Apparently his whole family moved with him to America.

"What about your father?" I asked. "Didn't he want to come?" His look told me this was not something he liked to talk about. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No…" he said after a few moments of silence. "My father… he was one of the reasons my family decided to come to America with me."

"Why?"

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Well, he wasn't always nice to my mother."

"What do you mean?" I asked hesitantly.

"He beat her up," Dimitri said.

I gasped. "That's terrible."

Dimitri nodded. "Yeah, that's why I beat him up."

_What?_ "You beat up your dad?" I asked incredulous. "How old were you?"

"Thirteen," he answered.

My eyebrows shot up. "Thirteen? You beat up your dad when you were thirteen?" _Wow._ "You are a god."

"What?" he asked, puzzled.

"Nothing," I said quickly. My cheeks burned red and I looked away so he wouldn't notice. "So, um, what happened afterwards?"

He let my comment go and said, "He left. He knew he couldn't win so he left and never came back ever since."

I stared at Dimitri. "Wow. That's horrible...what happened to your family. Good thing you scared him away."

"I didn't want to leave them behind in Russia in case he might show up again," Dimitri continued. "So that's why they came with me."

"And I thought my dad was bad," I said frowning. "Maybe it's a good thing that I don't know him."

"What happened with your dad? Where is he?" Dimitri asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know. He left my mom before I was born."

Dimitri looked at me with compassion. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," I said, giving him a small smile. "I never met him so I can't miss him. And for all I know, he could be an asshole. No, wait. He _is_ an asshole, because he left my mom and me."

Dimitri put his hand on mine and squeezed it gently. It made me feel warm all over my body. I looked up at him and he smiled. My heart fluttered. I tried to ignore the weird feeling, but I couldn't. The only thing I could do was stare back into his eyes. I only noticed just now how beautiful his eyes were…

What was happening to me? Why did I feel that way around him?

I cleared my throat and looked away. Suddenly, I realized something. "Hey, is that why you wanted to help me with Jesse? Because of what your dad did to your mom?" I asked.

"Partly," he admitted. "Nobody deserves to be treated like that."

I gave him a small smile and he smiled back.

I glanced at my watch and sighed. "I should go home. My mom is probably wondering where I am."

Dimitri nodded. "Be careful."

"Always am, comrade," I said, winking.

He gave me a puzzled look. "Comrade?"

"It suits you," I said grinning.

"But-"

"See you, comrade."

Before he could say something else, I got up and left. When I was a few feet away, I turned around and waved at him. He looked at me, a small frown on his face, and then waved back. Slowly, a smile spread on my face as I left the park and headed home.

**DPOV**

I stared after Rose as she left the park. After a few more minutes, I got up and went back to my apartment. I was still confused over what had happened with Rose in the park. No, I was confused about everything. I liked spending time with Rose, but I wasn't allowed to feel that way around her, even though she was nice and fun and made me laugh. _But it's not like you have feelings for her._

Still, I shouldn't hang out with my student. That wasn't appropriate. When she'd ran into me, I should have made sure she was okay and then I should've left. Not chatting and joking around with her all morning.

And I'd told her about my father, too. The only person who knew about this except for my family was my best friend Ivan. I had never told anyone else about my father, but here I was, a couple of hours with Rose, and I'd already opened up to her. Why? Why did she have this effect on me?

And then the nickname she'd given me. Comrade. I couldn't let her call me that. It was already bad that she called me with my first name, let alone that she'd start calling me 'comrade' in school. I didn't want people to think that there was something going between us, because there wasn't. Right?

I was more confused than ever. I'd liked spending time with her and I'd felt a little sad when she'd left, but there was no way that I could have feelings for her. I mean, she was my student. She was seven years younger than me.

"What's on your mind?"

Startled, I looked up and found myself at my apartment door. Ivan sat on the floor. He'd apparently been waiting for some time.

"Nothing," I said, opening the door and letting him in.

"Sure," Ivan said, rolling his eyes. "I know that look on your face. What's stressing you out?"

"Nothing is stressing me out. I was just thinking."

"About?"

"Nothing," I repeated. "It's not important. What are you doing here?"

Ivan had moved to America a couple of years before I had. When I'd first come here, he'd showed me around and he had given my family and me a place to stay. He'd helped me a lot back then and I was very grateful for that. I had missed my best friend a lot and was glad to have him back. But in moments like this, moments where he kept asking me the same, irritating questions, I could choke the life out of him.

"Asking if you want to go to lunch with me," he answered.

I raised an eyebrow. "Are you asking me out on a date? I don't think Sarah is going to like that."

Ivan rolled his eyes. "Ha ha. Did anyone tell you yet how funny you are?"

I just grinned. "No, I can't go with you. I just ate and I have a lot of tests to grade."

"You already ate? It's not even eleven o'clock," Ivan said.

"I ate something after running," I said shrugging.

He frowned. "You never do that."

"I was hungry."

"I have a feeling you're not telling me everything," Ivan said, crossing his arms.

I shrugged. "Not my problem."

"I'll find it out," he said. "I'll find out what you're hiding."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not hiding anything."

Ivan snorted. "We'll see. I guess I'll better go then. I'll just have lunch all by myself," he added melodramatically.

"Have fun," I said grinning.

Ivan glared at me and then left. I shook my head and sighed. My mind wandered off to Rose again – something that happened a lot lately – and I wondered what I should do. Only I didn't know what I should do. Well, at least I knew what I shouldn't do. I shouldn't talk to Rose like she was a friend. _Easier said than done. You already crossed the line by giving her your number and now you hung out with her too. And you _liked_ it._

I ignored the nagging voice inside my head. I could do this. Rose was just a student. Nothing more. I was just a little bit worried about her, but that was it. I didn't know that in a month from now, I would prove myself wrong.

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**A lot of Rose and Dimitri in this chapter! And a little bit about Dimitri's background too. :D**

**Was it good? Please let me know what you think ;)**

**And thank you for reading this story!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you for all the reviews! If you liked last chapter, you'll probably like this one too! Enjoy ;)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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**CHAPTER 6**

**RPOV**

Weeks passed and Jesse still texted me every day. He once showed up on my doorstep again, but my mom was home so he couldn't do anything when I told him to leave. As promised, I told Dimitri that Jesse had stopped by again. Dimitri didn't look happy when I told him about that, but he was glad that Jesse hadn't tried anything.

Eddie had noticed me talking to Dimitri sometimes. Then he would occasionally ask me why I was talking to him so much. I hated those questions and tried to avoid them as much as I could. I always changed the subject or gave some vague answer. I didn't want Eddie to know that Jesse was stalking me.

I was happy when the last school day was almost over. I was looking forward to Christmas and New Year's Eve. I was going to spend it with Lissa. It had been a long time since we had done something fun. Of course, Christian would accompany us, but he would go home afterwards and I would stay at Lissa's place for the night.

I almost cheered in happiness when our last class ended. I sprinted outside, with my friends in tow. It had been snowing a lot these last few days and suddenly, I wanted to have a snowball fight. I crouched down, took some snow and made a ball. Turning around, I smashed it into the first person who came outside. It was Christian.

"Son of a bitch!" He spit out the snow and brushed the rest out of his hair. "I'm going to kill you, Rose," he growled, giving me a murderous look.

I grinned. "Ha, you'll never catch me."

I threw another snowball but this one hit Eddie's face. Without saying a word, he made his own snowball and threw it at me. I dodged it and stuck out my tongue.

Soon, there was a snowball war going on. We split in teams. Me, Eddie and Mason were one team and Lissa, Christian and Mia formed the other team. Our team was winning, of course, and Christian couldn't handle that.

"It's not fair!" he whined. "I'm the only guy in my team!"

"Sucks for you," I said, throwing another ball at him.

He growled something and I started laughing.

"You just can't stand it that my team is winning."

"You have two guys on your team!" he exclaimed.

"Okay then. You can have Mason," I said, "and I'll take Mia."

"Fine," Christian said.

"Hey!" Mia said offended. "Am I not good enough?"

"You are," I said, tugging her arm. "That's why you're joining the badass team." Christian snorted. "Watch it," I said, glaring at him. "Or I'll give you some more snow to eat."

We resumed our snowball fight. Even with two girls in our team, we were still winning. But that was mostly because of Eddie and me. The only thing Mia did was squealing when someone threw snow at her. By now everyone had left school. Suddenly, I was distracted by a tall figure who was leaving the administration building. Grinning, I sneaked toward him with a snowball in my hand. When I was close enough, I threw it at him and it hit his back. Quickly, I hid behind a tree.

Dimitri turned around and narrowed his eyes. I crouched down as quiet as possible and made another snowball. Chuckling to myself, I got up and peeked around the tree. I didn't see him anymore and frowned. Where the hell did he go?

"I already thought it was you." I yelped, turned around and faced Dimitri. He had his arms crossed and was smirking at me. "Oh, did I scare you?"

"N-no," I said stammering, trying to ignore how close he was standing to me. "I knew you were here."

He just shook his head, a small smile on his lips. "You know it's not allowed to have snowball fights at school," he said when he looked at me again.

"But no one's here," I countered. "And school's over, comrade."

"Don't call me that," he chastised. "And you're still on school grounds."

"Details," I said shrugging.

He opened his mouth to say something, but then the door of the administration building opened and closed again and he turned his head. "Finally," he muttered. Then he turned to me again. "I got to go. You should get home. It's getting dark. I don't want you to walk home alone in the dark."

"I will," I said. "And I won't be alone. Eddie's coming with me."

"Good. I don't want anything to happen to you," he murmured. He took a step back and turned around. As he walked away, he looked over his shoulder and said, "Happy holidays, Rose."

"Thanks, you too," I said, smiling at him.

He gave me a full-on smile and then walked toward Ms. Hale, who had come out of the administration building and had interrupted whatever Dimitri had been about to say.

They walked together to the parking lot and then they both got into Dimitri's car. What the hell? Were Ms. Hale and Dimitri close friends or were they…together? Could it be that she was his girlfriend? I stared after them as they drove away. He didn't tell me he had a girlfriend. But then… why should he have told me? It was none of my business. Still, I couldn't help but feel a little jealous. But why would I be jealous? I had no reason to feel that way.

"Rose! What are you doing?" Eddie yelled. "We're losing!"

Sighing, I turned around and walked back to my friends. I suddenly didn't feel like playing games anymore and called it quits.

"It's getting dark," I said. "I need to go home. My mom will be worried if I'm not home soon."

"Since when do you care about that?" Mason asked.

I shrugged.

Christian smirked. "She just can't stand it that we won."

"You won because I wasn't here the last fifteen minutes," I retorted. "I'm going now. See you all next year."

I stalked away and Eddie quickly followed me.

"Where were you?" he asked. "One minute you were there with us and the next you were gone."

"I was talking to someone," I answered.

"Who were you talking to?" Eddie questioned.

"No one special," I said evasively.

"Then why won't you tell me?" Eddie asked.

I sighed. "Fine. It was Dimitri."

Eddie frowned. "Mr. Belikov? Why were you talking to him?"

"I sneaked up on him and threw a snowball at him, but then he found me when I was hiding."

"You threw snow at him?" Eddie exclaimed. "Are you crazy? He's a teacher."

I shrugged. "It's not like he's going to punish me for it. Besides, it was after the school hours and no one saw it. And it's not like I threw snow at Alto. It's just Dimitri."

"But still," Eddie muttered. He was quiet for a few minutes and then he continued, "You talk to him a lot lately. Why is that?"

I tried to be casual. "Do I? I haven't noticed that before. Maybe you're imagining things."

Eddie looked up at me. "I don't think so."

I was a little bit taken aback when I heard his stern voice. "He's friendly," I finally said. "And so what? Is it forbidden to talk to your teachers?"

"No," Eddie said. "It's just-"

"Then there's no problem," I snapped. I was still a little cranky because I saw Dimitri getting into the car with Ms. Hale and Eddie's questions were irritating me. It didn't really improve my mood. "Just let it go, okay? There's nothing going on if that's what you think."

"I don't think that," Eddie said quietly. "I was just wondering."

I sighed. Eddie was just worried about me and I was being a bitch to him because Ms. Hale got into the same car as Dimitri. I didn't even get why that upset me so much.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I didn't mean to snap at you."

"It's fine," Eddie said with a small smile. "I was asking a lot of questions and it's not even my business."

"I know you're just asking because you're worried about me," I said, "but don't be. I'm fine."

"Really?" he asked. "You're not just saying you're fine to get rid of me faster?"

I smiled. "No."

"Was that an answer on my first question or the second?"

I rolled my eyes and nudged him. "Your second question. And as for your first question… Really, I'm fine."

He smiled, too. "Okay then."

When we reached my house, we said our goodbyes. As soon as he was gone, I got a text message. I opened it and my eyes widened.

_I don't like it when you're alone with Eddie. Especially in the dark. Then I can't see if you guys are just hugging or…more. It makes me angry. Don't do it anymore._

I quickly turned and looked around. I didn't see anyone, but for all I knew Jesse could be hiding behind a tree or a car. My heart thudded in my chest as I slowly backed up. I hit the door with my back and opened it as fast as I could. With a loud bang I closed it behind me. My phone buzzed again. I held my breath as I read the new message.

_If you think you can hide from me forever, you're wrong._

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. When was this going to stop? When was he going to accept that I didn't want him anymore?

"Rose? Are you home?" I heard my mom call from the kitchen.

"Y-yes," I said, my voice wavering.

The door to the hallway opened and my mom entered. "Dinner is almost ready," she said smiling. Then she frowned. "Is there something wrong? You look like you saw a ghost."

"No, nothing's wrong," I lied as I forced myself to smile. "I just thought I forgot something at school, but I already found it."

"Oh okay," Mom said. "Well, are you coming?"

"In a minute," I said.

She nodded and left. Looking at the text again, I figured this was going to be one fucking boring holiday because there was no way I was leaving my house when Jesse was out there, waiting for me to come out.

The next following days I expected Jesse to send me more messages, but I didn't hear from him anymore. I was glad about that, but I still wasn't keen on leaving my house all alone. My mom didn't question this and I had Christmas to thank this for. Everyone was spending time with their family now so it was normal that I didn't see my friends around this time.

I spent Christmas with my mom this year. I was glad about that. Last year she had to work on Christmas Eve because some guy had killed his wife and she had to be there to investigate the crime scene. I'd spent Christmas all alone that year and I never wanted to have to do that again.

Finally, New Year's Eve arrived. Despite of being a little bit afraid that I might see Jesse, I was looking forward to tonight because now I would spend a little more time with Lissa. She would pick me up and then we'd go to the park. Tonight, at midnight, fireworks would go off there. They did it every year and it was always beautiful.

But tonight Lissa was running late. Normally, I was the one who was always late. I decided to wait outside, which was a bad idea because it was freezing.

"Come on, Lissa," I mumbled. "Where are you?"

"What are you doing out here? Did you lose your key?"

I gasped when I heard that voice and looked up. I hadn't expected to see him here. I thought that if I'd see him tonight it would be at the park.

"Jesse."

He grinned. "That's me."

"Get out of here," I said through gritted teeth. "Leave me alone."

He ignored me. "Are you going to the park?"

"That is none of your business," I said curtly.

"You're not going with Eddie, are you?" he asked, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

"No. I'm going with Lissa." Maybe if I'd just answer his questions, he'd leave sooner. _Sure, Rose. If that's what you want to believe._

Finally, a car drove down the street. It stopped a couple of feet away from us. I saw Lissa sitting in the passenger seat. I started walking toward the car.

"Hey, I'm not done with you yet!" Jesse exclaimed.

Feeling bold, I shrugged and said, "Sorry I can't stay and talk."

"Rose!"

"Bye, Jesse." I got in the car and was greeted by Lissa and her mom. "Thanks for picking me up, Rhea."

"That's alright, dear," she said, looking at me from her rearview mirror. "How are you?"

"Fine, thanks."

Lissa turned in her seat. "Was that Jesse who you were talking to?"

I nodded.

Frowning, she said, "But why? I thought he'd given up on you by now."

I shrugged. "I don't know and I don't care."

In truth, I knew that Jesse hadn't given up on me and I was starting to wonder if he ever would. But I couldn't tell her that right now, not when her mom was with us.

Rhea dropped us off at the park. Christian was already waiting at the entrance. He kissed Lissa and draped his arm around her and nodded at me. They started walking and I followed them. Great. I thought I would get to hang out with Lissa tonight, but it seemed that Christian would be all over her. At least I could talk to her when we got to her home, but that would still take a few hours.

We went to one of the tents they'd set up for tonight and sat down at a table. The tent was dimly lit, which made it kind of cozy. I just wished it was warmer here. Christian went to get our drinks and as soon as he was gone, I leaned toward Lissa and said, "He's not going home with us, right?"

"No, of course not. Not when you're staying," Lissa said. "Why are you asking?"

"No reason," I said smiling. I wasn't going to tell her I wasn't looking forward on spending a whole night watching her make out with Christian because that was going to make her mad.

Christian returned with our drinks shortly after. Like I'd already guessed, they had only eyes for each other and forgot about me completely. I sighed, sipping my hot cocoa, and looked around. Up to now, I hadn't seen Jesse here walking around. Maybe he wouldn't come. That brightened my mood a little.

Suddenly, I saw Jill walking by. She saw me and waved at me, smiling. Then she walked to the other tent.

"Hey, guys, I'm going to take a walk," I said. "See you later."

I didn't think they even heard me. I got up and walked toward Jill.

"Hey Jill," I greeted.

"Hey," she said smiling. "How are you?"

"Fine. And you?"

"I'm fine, too."

"With who did you come here? If I'd known you would come, I would've asked you to come with us." Then at least I wouldn't have felt so alone.

Jill groaned. "I'm here with my parents. I actually wanted to go with Eddie, but mom wanted me to stay with her tonight."

"Oh, you wanted to go with Eddie?" I said, surprised.

Even though I'd been suspicious of them having feelings for each other, I hadn't seen them hanging out at school together lately. I figured they'd been seeing each other outside of school.

She blushed. "Yeah. Just as friends, though," she said quickly.

"Just as friends. Right." I shook my head and looked at her with amusement. "Jill, you don't expect me to believe that, right?"

She looked away, clearly flustered. When she finally dared to look up again, she said shyly, "Please don't tell him."

I smiled. "Relax. I won't tell him. But I think _you_ should."

Her eyes widened. "No! I can't do that. He's not ever going to talk to me again if I tell him."

"That's not true," I said. "You know, I think he likes you too."

"He does?" she asked astonished.

I nodded. "He doesn't want to tell me, though, but I can see it by the way he looks at you."

"You really think so?" she asked, hope shining in her eyes.

I smiled. "Yes. I'm his best friend. I notice these things. You really should talk to him."

"Okay," she said smiling. "I will. Thanks, Rose."

"You're welcome," I said. "Always glad to help."

"I better go back to my parents now," Jill said. "They're probably wondering where I am."

"Okay. Have fun," I said.

Her smile broadened. "You too."

She left and I was alone again. I leaned against the bar and looked at my phone. No new messages. I thought Jesse would've sent something, but he hadn't. I smirked. Maybe he was mad because I'd left him there so suddenly.

"Hey."

I froze. I hadn't heard that voice in more than a week and I hated to admit it, but I was happy to hear that voice again. I had been thinking about him a lot lately and I didn't know why. _No, that's not true, Rose. You know why. You just don't want to admit it._

I ignored the voice inside my head and slowly turned around. Grinning, I said, "Hey comrade."

**DPOV**

I was bored as hell. Ivan and Sarah were constantly making out in front of me and my sister, Viktoria, had run of with her friend Nikolai. I was a little bit worried about her, but I knew she would be safe with Nikolai. I hoped they'd be back by midnight, though. I didn't want to look for Viktoria all night. I was starting to think that it had been a bad idea to go to the park with them.

Absentmindedly, I looked around and then I saw her. Rose. She was leaning against the bar and she was alone. That surprised me. Rose was always surrounded by people.

I cleared my throat. "I'm going to…whatever." Ivan and Sarah weren't listening anyway. They were too engrossed in each other.

I made my way to the bar. A voice inside my head said that this was a bad idea and that I should turn around, but I didn't listen. "Hey."

She froze and then turned around slowly. A grin spread across her face. "Hey comrade."

I sighed, knowing that I would never get her to stop calling me by that nickname. "What are you doing here all alone?" I asked.

"I'm not alone," she answered. "I'm here with Lissa and Christian, but they're, um, busy at the moment."

"Busy, huh?" I said. _They're probably doing the same thing as Ivan and Sarah._

"And with who did you come?" Rose asked. "Family? Friends? Maybe girlfriend?"

"No girlfriend," I quickly said. I didn't know why I didn't want her to think I had a girlfriend, but it felt important that she knew that. "I'm here with a friend."

"Oh. Where is he?"

"Somewhere…with his girlfriend," I added reluctantly.

She smirked. "They're probably busy too, huh?"

"Yeah. Kind of."

"So what's your New Year's resolution?" she asked after a few moments of silence.

"I don't have a resolution," I said smirking, "because I never keep it."

She laughed. "Well, at least you can't be disappointed when you don't succeed."

I smiled. "Exactly. Do you have a New Year's resolution?"

"No. Unless you think not falling in love with a freak next year is a resolution," she said grinning.

"Even if that's not a resolution, I think it's a great idea," I said. She smiled. After a few moments of silence, I asked, "Do you want to go for a walk?"

Startled, she looked up. "What?"

"Do you want to go for a walk?" I repeated. "There's a lot of noise here."

She looked over her shoulder, probably searching for Lissa, and then turned to me again. "Yeah, sure."

We walked in silence around the pond. I wanted to say something, but I didn't know what. I glanced at her from the corner of my eye. I couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was. Her beautiful long hair framed her smiling face and even when she wasn't smiling, she was still gorgeous. _Stop it, Dimitri. You can't think about her that way._

"So… Jesse showed up at my house tonight," Rose said, breaking the silence.

I quickly looked away before she noticed I'd been staring at her. "Did he do something?" I asked.

"No, he didn't. He just wanted to know where I was going," Rose answered. "But on the last school day, when I got home…He sent me some messages."

"What messages?"

She took her phone out of her pocket and handed it to me after opening a text message.

"He was at your house that day too?" I said after reading the messages. I was starting to get really angry at that guy and also a little jealous when I read that part about Eddie and Rose possibly doing more than hugging. Could that be true? "I really think you should report him, Rose. He waits for you at your house and spies on you. And he threatens you whenever he gets the chance."

"I know, but that's not going to do anything good," Rose said sighing. "He's only going to get angrier if I do that."

"He needs to be stopped, Rose."

"I know. I'm going to tell my mom," she said. "There's no other way to solve this."

"You should've done that a long time ago," I said harshly. She looked like she was on the verge of tears and I regretted my words immediately. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to let it come out like that."

"It's fine," she said quietly.

I sighed. "I just don't want anything to happen to you, Rose. I don't want to see you get hurt."

She looked up and gave me a small smile. "You're right, though. I should've told my mom a long time ago." She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself.

"Are you cold?" I asked. We'd stopped walking by now and stood behind a cluster of trees. In the distance I could see the lights coming from the tents.

"A little," she admitted.

I knew this was a bad idea, but I did it anyway. I took a step closer to her, put my arm around her and rubbed her arm with my free hand. Surprised, she looked up at me, but she didn't say anything. I was glad that she didn't push me away. My heart started beating faster being this close to her. _What are you doing? Stop. Now!_

I ignored the voice inside my head and asked, "Is this better?"

She smiled. "Yes. Thank you."

I let go of her and the second I did that, I wanted to wrap my arms around her again. There was something seriously wrong with me. I couldn't possibly feel this way about her.

"I wanted to thank you for something else, too," she said.

"What's that?" I asked. I hoped that I didn't sound too curious.

"Well, I wanted to thank you for all your help. For listening to me when I needed to talk about…you know," she said, giving me a small smile. "You were always there for me when I needed you. So…thank you for that. I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome, Rose," I said smiling, tucking a strand of her beautiful hair behind her ear. "I'll always be here for you when you need me."

She smiled and opened her mouth to say something else, but then the sky lit up with fireworks. In the distance I heard cheers. It was midnight.

"Happy New Year," I said.

She grinned. "Happy New Year, comrade!" She looked at the sky and watched the fireworks in awe. "It's beautiful," she murmured.

"Yes. Very beautiful," I whispered. I wasn't talking about the fireworks, though. I was talking about her. She was so beautiful, it hurt me.

She turned to me, a big smile on her face, and then I did something that surprised us both.

I kissed her.

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**Cliffhanger! What's she going to do? Kiss him back? Push him away? Will someone see them? You'll find out next chapter ;)**

**Long time since I've written a long chapter. Hope you liked it. Let me know what you think :) **

**I'll try to update asap! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you for the amazing reviews! I'm glad you all liked the last chapter! :D **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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**CHAPTER 7**

**RPOV**

The fireworks lit up the sky. I hadn't expected to start the new year with Dimitri by my side, but I didn't mind. I actually liked being here with him.

"It's beautiful," I murmured, looking up at the sky.

"Yes. Very beautiful," Dimitri whispered.

I turned to him and saw that he was looking at me. His gaze was intense. It made my knees go weak. Slowly, he leaned forward and his lips brushed against mine. I froze, caught off guard. He pulled back slightly and looked at me again. My heart was racing and I wished he would kiss me again. I wanted to feel his lips on mine again.

Hesitantly, he pulled me closer and pressed his lips against mine. I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms around his neck as I responded to his kiss. He tangled one of his hands in my hair while his other hand rested on the small of my back. His tongue ran across my bottom lip and I opened my mouth, granting him access which he gladly took. I moaned softly as his tongue rubbed against mine. I forgot the world around me as we continued to kiss. It didn't register that I was kissing my teacher. All I knew was that I didn't want this to end.

He pulled away and I gasped for air. He apparently didn't need to breathe and moved his lips down to my neck.

"Roza," he murmured against my skin. Then his lips were on mine again.

I didn't know how long we stood there, secluded by the trees, but suddenly I heard a voice calling out for me.

"Rose! Where are you?"

Startled by the voice – which I recognized as Lissa's – we broke away, both breathing heavily. Dimitri was staring at me, wide-eyed, like he couldn't believe what we'd just done. He certainly wasn't the only who couldn't believe what just had happened.

When my breathing was normal again, I responded to Lissa's call. "I'm here, Liss."

I stepped out of the shadows of the trees.

"Rose? What are you – oh, Mr. Belikov! Am I interrupting?" she asked hesitantly, looking from him to me.

"No, no," I said quickly. "We were just talking. What's up?"

"Well, you suddenly disappeared," Lissa said uneasily. "I was getting worried."

"I'm fine, Lissa. Don't worry," I said. My heart was still racing. Dimitri standing so close next to me didn't make it any easier.

"Okay. My mom called. She's picking us up in half an hour," Lissa said. She eyed Dimitri, who was staring at the ground, and then her gaze fell on me again. "Is that okay with you?"

"Yeah, sure," I said as I mustered up a smile.

An awkward silence fell upon us. Finally, after a couple of agonizing minutes, Dimitri cleared his throat and said, "I have to go. I'll see you at school." His gaze held mine as he said those last words and I stared after him as he walked toward the exit of the park.

Lissa was still looking at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing," she said and she finally looked away.

We started walking back toward the tents.

"So, um, where's Christian?" I asked to break the silence.

"He's waiting for us in the tent," she responded.

"Oh."

Suddenly, Lissa stopped walking. I almost bumped into her.

"What were you doing out there with Mr. Belikov?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, flustered.

"You know what I mean! Why were you behind the trees? I know you weren't standing there to have a better view of the fireworks," she snorted.

"I…we…" I didn't know what to say. Should I lie to her? I'd already lied to her about Jesse. Should I keep this a secret too? But I _really_ needed to talk to someone about this. "I kissed Dimitri," I blurted out.

"What? You kissed Mr. Beli-"

"Sssh!" I hissed.

"You kissed Mr. Belikov?" she whispered, her eyes wide in disbelief.

"Actually, he kissed me," I said.

"_He_ kissed _you_? Oh my God!"

"Hey, what's going on? What are you two doing?"

Suddenly, Christian appeared out of nowhere.

"Nothing," I lied. "We were…looking for you."

I glanced at Lissa who nodded. "Yeah, we were on our way back to you."

He looked at us suspiciously, but then decided to let it go. "Well, I'm here. Let's go."

"We'll talk later," I murmured to Lissa.

She nodded and then we followed Christian toward the exit. Rhea picked us up and dropped Christian off at his home. It was silent in the car. All I could think about was Dimitri and his lips on mine. Had that been real or was I just imagining things? No. It had really happened. He'd really kissed me. Absentmindedly, I touched my lips and smiled. Then I noticed Lissa looking at me. Embarrassed, I looked out of the window.

"So are you going to tell me what exactly happened with you and Mr. Belikov tonight?" she asked me as soon as we got to her room.

"I told you," I said.

"No, you just gave me a short version," Lissa countered. "Give me some details! How was the kiss? Does he like you?"

"I don't know," I said frowning.

"Well, I don't know about you, but most people only kiss other people when they_ like_ them," Lissa said. "And that could explain why he gave you his phone number."

"That was to help me out with Jesse," I said. "He was just worried."

"See. He likes you." A smile spread across her face. Now that she was over her shock that I'd kissed Dimitri, I could see the excitement in her eyes. "Now tell me, how was the kiss? Was it good?"

"I kissed a teacher and all you can think about is if the kiss was good?" I exclaimed. "Are you serious?"

She looked ashamed. "I'm sorry. I know this could get you in trouble if anyone would find out, but I'm the only one who knows besides you two. No one was there but me and I didn't even see it."

"It's fine, Liss," I said sighing. "I'm just… confused."

"Do you like him?" she asked earnestly.

I looked up at her. "No. Maybe…" I frowned. Who was I trying to fool? Of course I liked him. The way he'd made me feel when he'd looked at me tonight with so much intensity… How my heart had skipped a beat when he'd tucked my hair behind my ear that day I threw a snowball at him… "Yes," I whispered. I buried my face in my hands. "Oh my God. This can't be happening. I can't like him. He's my teacher. I can't have feelings for him."

"You can't decide who you fall for. It just happens," Lissa said, still serious.

"But he's my teacher. Even if he likes me too… we can't date. And he's older than me."

"Age doesn't matter," Lissa countered. "Unless he's_ really_ old," she added frowning. "Like forty or so."

"He's twenty-four years old," I said.

"How do you know? Never mind," Lissa said. "You've probably talked to him a lot without telling me."

I tried not to look too guilty. There were a lot of things I hadn't told her yet. "It doesn't matter. He probably doesn't even like me that way."

"He likes you, Rose," Lissa said. "Do you honestly think he'd risk losing his job if he doesn't have feelings for you?"

I sighed. "I don't know. What am I going to do?"

"I think you should talk to him."

"What? Now? Over the phone?"

Lissa rolled her eyes. "No, silly! That's not something you want to talk about over the phone. You should talk to him when school starts again."

"Yeah, maybe…" I sighed. "You're probably right. I should talk to him about this."

"Yes! I'm sure he wants to talk about it too," Lissa said. She smiled and winked. "Maybe he misses you already."

I threw a pillow at her face. "Lissa! It's not funny."

"I know. I'm sorry," she said sincerely. "But, um, are you going to tell me now how the kiss was?"

I could see the curiosity all over her face.

"It was great," I said honestly. I decided not to mention that if she hadn't interrupted us, the kiss might have lasted a little longer.

We talked a little more and then went to bed. I tried to sleep, but I couldn't. If I closed my eyes, I saw Dimitri. All I could think about was him and that kiss. Was Lissa right? Did he like me? I found that hard to believe, but a part of me hoped that he did. After turning and tossing for a few more hours, I finally fell asleep.

**DPOV**

Without looking back, I left the park. My heart was still racing. All I wanted to do was turn around and run back to Rose, but I couldn't do that because then I would want to kiss her again. Oh God. I couldn't believe I'd kissed her. And she'd kissed me back. She'd kissed me back! I felt happy about that, but I shouldn't feel this way. I _couldn't_ feel this way. Rose was my student. I wasn't supposed to kiss my student. I could lose my job if anyone found out.

But that didn't seem to matter at this moment. All I could think about was the feel of her soft lips on mine and her arms wrapped around my neck. For a moment I'd thought that she was mine, but now… Now that I was alone again, I realized that she could never be mine. I was her teacher. I couldn't date a student. Not to mention that she was seven years younger than me. She might not look as young as her other peers, but she was still a minor. But oh, that kiss… It had been amazing.

After an hour of aimlessly walking on the streets, I returned to the park. Ivan was still sitting at the same table where I'd left him and much to my relief, Viktoria and Nikolai had returned.

"Where did you go?" Ivan asked. "You've been gone for two hours."

"I was just walking," I said shrugging.

Ivan grinned mischievously. "Did you hook up with someone?" That comment earned him a nudge from Sarah, but for once he wasn't paying attention to her.

"I didn't hook up with anyone," I said, avoiding eye contact.

"Then why did you disappear for that long?" Ivan asked, still grinning. "You're not going to tell me you were alone all this time."

I ignored him and turned to my sister. "Vika, it's time to go for you. I have to bring you home."

She pouted. "But I don't want to go yet."

"Mama wanted you home at two o'clock so I'm bringing you home now," I said. "Let's go."

Viktoria stood up reluctantly and kissed Nikolai's cheek to my surprise. Huh. Was there something going on between them that I didn't know of? I guess I should have a talk with him later. We said our goodbyes and then left. Viktoria was still pouting when I drove her home.

"Is there something going on between you and Nikolai?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

"Why are you asking?"

I shrugged. "No reason." _Because you sneaked away with him and kissed him goodbye._ "You didn't do anything, did you? I mean, he didn't-"

"No, Dimka," she said, sighing exasperated. "We didn't do anything. We were just hanging out and talking. That's all."

"Good. You're way too young to do that kind of stuff," I said, trying not to think about how I'd made out with a girl the same age as Vika an hour ago.

She raised her eyebrow. "I'm seventeen, for God's sake! I can do what I want."

"You're not an adult yet," I retorted.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know I had to be eighteen to hang out with a guy," she said sarcastically.

I sighed. "I'm just looking out for you, Vika. I don't want you to get hurt."

Her face softened. "I know, but you don't have to worry. Nikolai won't hurt me. If you get to know him better, you'll realize that too."

"Fine. But if he ever hurts you, I'll find him," I said, "and I'll make sure he'll-"

"You worry too much, Dimka," Viktoria said sighing.

That was probably true.

I dropped her off and then drove back to my apartment. I went straight to bed. Staring at the ceiling, my mind went back to Rose. What should I do? _You already know what to do. You have to tell her it was a mistake._

That was the last thing I wanted to tell her. I wanted to tell her what I felt when I was with her. I wanted to kiss her again, but I couldn't. That wouldn't be responsible and I had to be responsible. I was her teacher. I'd already crossed the line. I couldn't do that again. I had to tell her it was a mistake and that it would never happen again. I repeated this over and over in my head and I knew this was the right thing to do, but when I'd see her face in class, it would be much harder to actually say the words. She was going to hate me and it would be all my fault.

Could I really do this? Could I lie to her? I knew I had to, but when I would see her face again, would I still be able to tell her what I needed to?

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**I'm sorry if there are some mistakes, but I wrote this in a hurry! Please let me know if you liked it :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello! Thank you for all the reviews! It makes me very happy you like this story. To answer some questions: Yes, Adrian and Tasha will be in this story. In fact, Adrian will be in this chapter! Tasha will appear too, but not just yet. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy. **

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**CHAPTER 8**

**RPOV**

"It's going to be fine," Lissa whispered in my ear. "Go talk to him."

Swallowing, I nodded. Dimitri had asked me to stay after class. Everyone was leaving the classroom now. I stood near the door with Lissa, terrified. I was scared for what he might say. All week I'd been thinking about him, about that kiss. I just couldn't get him out of my head. When I had to go back to school this morning, I'd been nervous. During the day, I'd forgotten about him for a moment, but now I was nervous again and it was worse than this morning.

"Good luck," Lissa said softly before she left the classroom and closed the door.

Hesitantly, I walked toward Dimitri, who was sitting at his desk, grading a test.

"You wanted to see me?" I said, my voice tight.

He looked up at me and smiled. I relaxed a little when I saw that smile. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all. "Yes. Sit down."

I said down on the nearest chair. He got up from behind his desk and sat down across me. He was silent for a while and then cleared his throat. "Rose, I…" He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kissed you."

My heart sank as I stared at him. "But…why did you do it?" I finally asked.

"I don't know," he said uneasily. "I don't know what came over me. It was stupid of me to do and I'm sorry. It was a mistake."

Stupid? A mistake? The words hurt more than I liked to admit. "Then why didn't you think of that before you kissed me?" I exclaimed. "I don't understand. You've been so nice to me and then you kiss me, and now you're telling me it was a mistake!"

"You're my student, Rose," Dimitri said calmly.

"So-"

"I'm an adult. You're still a minor," he continued. "I was wrong to kiss you. It should have never happened. And it is never going to happen again. Do you understand?"

Yes. He made it very clear to me that it would never happen again. "Is that the reason why you think it's a mistake? Because it was wrong? Because I'm your student?" I asked, trying to stay as calm as he was.

"Partly," he answered. "But also… I don't like you that way."

Tears sprung in my eyes. All this time… all this time he'd been there for me, helping me out whenever I needed him, and now…it was like I didn't even recognize him anymore. "Well, you should've thought about that before you kissed me!"

I got up. I needed to get out of here, away from him.

"Rose, wait-" He got up too and reached for my arm.

"Don't touch me!" I shouted. "You're just like all the other guys. No, you're even worse. You pretended to care about me, but you've just been using me all this time. I thought you were different."

"Rose," he tried again. "I-"

"Don't worry," I said, fighting to hold back the tears. "I won't tell anyone what happened."

He stared at me, speechless for a moment. Then he opened his mouth again, but I didn't wait to hear his response. I stormed out of the classroom and fled to the bathroom as tears streamed down my face.

**DPOV**

"Rose, no! Wait!" I called after her.

But she was gone. Damn it. I'd done it. I'd hurt her feelings. She would hate me forever. But I'd had no other choice than to tell her it had been a mistake to kiss her. I couldn't risk her getting expelled because she was having a relationship with her teacher. But when she'd said those things to me, that I'd been using her and pretended to care about her… I wanted to take it all back and tell her how I really felt about her. I wanted to hold her and kiss her. But I couldn't. It was too dangerous, for the both of us. Why? Why did I had to fall for my student? Why did it have to be her?

Frustrated, I threw the book on my desk across the classroom.

"Damn!" I cursed.

What if she'd never talk to me again? What if Jesse hurt her again and she wouldn't let me know? I was sure she wasn't going to ask for my help ever again if I didn't fix this. But how was I supposed to fix this? I couldn't tell her about my true feelings. I was her teacher. I wasn't supposed to have feelings for my student.

I couldn't stand the thought of Rose hating me. I didn't want her to think that I didn't care about her. I wish I could tell her how much I cared about her, how much she meant to me. Now that I had kissed her, I could no longer deny that I didn't have feelings for her. And it hurt to know that she could never be mine.

I closed my eyes for a brief moment and saw the hurt in Rose her eyes again, and the way she'd stormed off…

What had I done?

**RPOV**

Lissa found me an hour later in the bathroom. I'd skipped lunch and that had worried her, because I never skipped lunch.

"Rose!" she exclaimed, crouching down beside me. "What happened?"

I wiped the tears away and sniffled, "He said it was a mistake. That it was stupid."

"Aww, Rose." She sat down next to me and put her arm around me. "I'm sorry," she said softly.

"He's right, though," I said quietly. "I know we can't be together, but hearing him say those things to me… It hurt."

"I'm sure he didn't mean to hurt you," Lissa said.

I shrugged. "It doesn't matter anymore." I sighed and got up. "It was stupid of me to think that he might like me too." I looked in the mirror and groaned. I looked like a mess and my eyes were puffy. It was so obvious I'd been crying.

"But he kissed you," Lissa said. She got up too. "He must like you. Maybe he is lying."

"No, Liss. He's not. He was serious when he said it was all a mistake," I said. "He made it very clear."

"I'm sorry," Lissa repeated.

"It's fine. I don't care anymore."

In truth, I did care. I'd been crushing on my teacher and when he'd kissed me, I'd thought he liked me too. But it had all been a lie. I just didn't get why he pretended to care about me. I knew I'd said to him that I would tell my mom the truth about Jesse, but now I was so angry at him that I didn't want to take him up on his advice anymore.

"I know something that might cheer you up a little."

We were walking to our class after I'd cleaned up. I doubted that anything would cheer me up at this moment, but I didn't want to hurt Lissa's feelings so I pretended to be interested. "And what's that?"

"My cousin just moved here," she said smiling. "He enrolled in our school and tomorrow is his first day here. I'm sure he would like to meet you."

"What's his name?" I asked. _And why would that cheer me up?_ I thought.

"His name is Adrian," Lissa answered cheerfully. "He's the same age as us and he's very good-looking." She gave me a knowing smile.

"Oh..." I said. I was so not interested to date anyone anytime soon. Not after what happened with Dimitri. "That's great, Liss, but I don't want to date anyone just yet."

She grinned. "Wait until you see him. You're going to change your mind, I'm sure of it."

"If you say so," I said tiredly.

I was glad nobody asked questions when I hadn't turned up for lunch today. Eddie looked kind of worried when he saw me after class. I thought he would ask something about it as we walked home, but he didn't say anything. When I looked over at him, he wore a small smile on his face.

I refused to let my bad mood spoil his good one and asked, "Why are you so happy?"

"No reason," he said shrugging, though his smile grew wider.

"Then why are you smiling like an idiot?" I said. I had a feeling it had something to do with Jill. Did she do what I'd told her she should do? Did they talk? "Let me guess, Jill has something to do with it," I said, voicing my thoughts.

Eddie looked at me, surprised. "How do you know that?"

I grinned. "So did she talk to you?"

"Yes," Eddie said slowly.

"And she confessed?" I asked.

Eddie frowned. "Did _you_ talk to her?"

"Why do you think that?" I said smirking. Eddie gave me a dry look and I admitted, "Yeah, I talked to her on New Year's Eve. I gave her some advice about something important and well…" I smiled. "Now it's your turn. Did she tell you the important thing?"

"Yes, she did," Eddie said.

"And?" I asked curiously.

He smiled again. "And…thanks."

I frowned, confused. "What?"

Eddie rolled his eyes. "Thank you for talking to her and giving her the advice to come talk to me." Suddenly he turned shy and he averted his eyes. "You were right when you said I have feelings for Jill, but that I was too afraid to admit it. But Jill told me she felt the same way so…"

"So you're together now?" I asked excitedly. He nodded. "That's amazing, Eddie! Congrats!" I hugged him, which startled him.

"Thanks," he said, patting my back.

I let go of him and grinned. This news had improved my mood a little and I was really happy for Eddie. It was about time he got together with Jill. They'd been eyeing each other from a distance for a while now. And of course, I was happy that I'd helped them.

"You're welcome, by the way," I said.

When I got home and Eddie left, my mood plummeted again. Now that I was alone again, I had nothing else to think about than Dimitri and what he'd said. Deep down, I knew he was right, but that didn't mean it hurt. It was going to take a while to get over him.

I was dreading to go to school the next day. I didn't want to see his face in class again, but I guess I couldn't avoid him forever. Luckily, there were some things that distracted me from thinking about Dimitri too much. One of those distractions came in the form of Lissa's cousin, Adrian.

"Come on, Rose! You have to meet my cousin," Lissa said, pulling me away from my locker to a guy who was standing a few feet away. "Hey, Adrian! This is my best friend Rose!"

The guy turned around and I looked up at him. He was tall, had green eyes and stylishly messy brown hair. I had to admit, he was good-looking. Slowly, a smile spread across his face and he swept me a gallant bow.

"So you must be the infamous Rose Hathaway?" he said grinning.

"Yes, that's me," I said, giving him a small smile.

"Pleasure to meet you," he said as he took my hand and kissed it softly.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. I looked over at Lissa, who grinned.

"Yeah, you too," I said, frowning slightly. He was a little bit weird and old-fashioned apparently...or was he just doing these things to impress me?

Later that day I ran into him and caught him smoking on the school grounds.

"Hey, that's not allowed here!" I exclaimed.

He only shrugged, dropped his cigarette to the ground and stamped it out.

"You have to throw that away. You can't leave it on the ground."

Adrian gave me a lazy smile. "I can do what I want, little girl."

I crossed my arms and scoffed. "Oh yeah? Why is that?"

"Because I'm Adrian Ivashkov," he responded.

I rolled my eyes, picked up his cigarette and threw it in the trash. When I turned around, he'd already lit up another cigarette.

"You're unbelievable," I muttered as I walked away.

"Nice seeing you again," Adrian called after me.

I ignored him and went back inside. When I saw Dimitri in the hallway, I promptly turned around and took a different route.

The next following days I tried hard to avoid him. Of course, I couldn't avoid him in class, but as soon as class ended, I sprinted out of there. Lissa was still trying to cheer me up and much to my annoyance, she was trying to set me up with Adrian. I made it clear to Lissa I didn't like him that way. In fact, I thought he was an arrogant jerk.

It turned out that Adrian and I shared a couple of classes, including history. Today Adrian was chatting cheerfully with me while we walked to the classroom. I saw that Dimitri was already inside and when we entered, he glanced at me. I looked away and walked to my seat. Adrian sat down beside me and kept talking about – hell, I didn't even know what he was talking about.

"Adrian, shut up!" I said through gritted teeth.

He didn't even hear me. I let out a sigh and looked out of the window. Adrian didn't notice that I was trying to ignore him. Dimitri started his lesson and Adrian _finally_ shut up. After a while, though, he scooted over and whispered, "You look so tense. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," I whispered back.

"You sure?"

"Yes, I'm just trying to pay attention!" I said as quiet as possible.

"I think I know what you need," he said grinning.

I turned to him. "Yeah? What do I need, then?"

"You need to relax a bit and I know just how to make you relax," he said flirtatiously. "What do you say if I take you out on a date some time?"

I was just about to answer when Dimitri interrupted our talk. "Please pay attention and stay at _your_ desk, Mr. Ivashkov."

Adrian leaned back in his chair and said, "You know how it is with the ladies. They're so tempting, especially this one."

Half the class was laughing and I flushed. Dimitri didn't look too happy with that answer.

"I don't care how tempting she is. And if it's a problem for you, I can always move you to the front of the classroom," he said, his voice hard. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was jealous. But I knew better. He was just angry that Adrian had interrupted his lesson.

"No, I'm good here," Adrian said. "But thanks for the offer."

Dimitri still looked mad, but he didn't say anything else and continued his lesson.

"So what do you say? Do you want to go out on a date with me?" Adrian asked after class.

"I'm sorry, but I don't want to date anyone at this moment," I said. "It's nothing personal."

For the first time, Adrian frowned. He apparently wasn't used to girls saying no to him. I didn't wait around for his answer and left. But Adrian caught up with me again.

"So can I ask you later again?" he asked. "When you are ready to date?"

I sighed. "Adrian…"

"It's just a date, Rose," he said. "Nothing has to happen."

I was undecided. I didn't want to hurt his feelings, but I really didn't want to date anyone right now. And I didn't like Adrian that way. He was good-looking, yeah, and sometimes he was really nice, when he wasn't being a jerk – even I had to admit that – but I just didn't feel that way about him. I still had to get over Dimitri.

"Please?" Adrian begged.

"I'll think about it," I said after a few moments. He smiled widely and I quickly added, "I haven't decided yet!"

"I know, little girl," he said grinning, "but can't I be happy that you haven't written me off just yet?"

He turned around and left. I stared after him, wondering what I had gotten myself into.

* * *

**That's it for this chapter. I hope you liked it, although the conversation between Rose and Dimitri probably didn't go as you'd hoped. You might hate me right now for doing this, but Dimitri can't be like, "Yes, let's get together and forget that we could get in trouble for this". But don't worry, in a matter of time he might realize what - or who - is more important to him ;) Just be patient. **

**Thank you for reading this story. You guys are the best. **

**Please leave me a review and let me know what you think :) **

**And have a nice week! ^^ **


	9. Chapter 9

**Here I am again! I'm sorry it took awhile but here's the next chapter! And once again, thank you so much for all the reviews! You are all amazing. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy. **

* * *

**CHAPTER 9**

**RPOV**

I still wasn't sure if I had made the right decision in giving Adrian a chance. I hadn't said yes to him yet, but I hadn't said no either. A small part of me liked the attention he gave me, but I knew that he only wanted to date me because of my good looks and to get in my pants. Guys were like that. Lissa said that he really liked me – all of me, just not my looks. I doubted that. Even if I wanted to go out on a date with Adrian, I still had one big problem. Jesse. He was still texting me and probably waiting for the right opportunity to corner me again. If he saw me with Adrian… Yeah, that couldn't end very well. But what was I supposed to do? Stay single for the rest of my life because Jesse was so jealous and possessive? No way was I going to stay alone forever.

But before I could date anyone or even think about dating, I had to get over Dimitri. Seeing him every day didn't make that easy. It had been a couple of weeks since he'd told me our kiss had been a mistake and I still felt the same way about him. I just couldn't forget about him.

"When are you going to decide?"

Startled, I looked up at Lissa. I hadn't even noticed she was here.

"I don't know," I said sighing. "He doesn't even know me that well."

"But he likes you," Lissa said smiling. "He wants to get to know you." When I didn't say anything else, she continued, "It's been two weeks since he's asked you and he's dying to take you out. You should give him a chance. A _real_ chance."

"I don't know," I repeated. I glanced around and then said quietly, "I'm still not over Dimitri, Liss."

She gave me a sympathetic look. "Maybe it helps if you go out with Adrian."

"Why do you want me to date Adrian so badly?" I asked, irritated.

"Because I want you to be happy!" Lissa said. "You deserve it."

My irritation with her disappeared immediately. I gave her a small smile. "Thanks, Liss. But I'm not sure if Adrian will make me happy." When I saw Lissa's look, I added, "But I'll think about it."

"You mean it? You're not just saying this to get rid of me?" Lissa asked.

"Yes, I mean it," I said truthfully. "I'll consider going out with him."

She smiled, satisfied. "Good."

I went to search for Eddie, because class was about to start again. It was history and I didn't want to go in alone. With Eddie by my side I would feel better. Of course, I would also have Adrian, but I felt better with Eddie there, even though he didn't know what had happened with me and Dimitri.

I found Eddie with Jill near the lockers. They were holding hands and kissing. I thought it was sweet, but after a couple of minutes I thought they'd better get a room if they were going to keep kissing like that.

"Ahum," I said, clearing my throat.

They broke away and Jill flushed bright red when she saw me. "Hi Rose," she said nervously.

"Hey," I said smiling. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," she said, giving me a small smile. "You?"

"Yeah, sure," I said smiling. I turned to Eddie. "Ready to go?"

He nodded and then said to Jill, "I'll see you later, sweetie."

She smiled at him and he kissed her goodbye.

"You guys are cute together," I said as we walked to our class.

"Thanks," he said grinning.

We sat down next to each other and talked a little until class started. Adrian came too late – it was not the first time that happened – much to Dimitri's annoyance. Adrian strolled toward us and sat down in front of me.

"Nice of you to join us, Mr. Ivashkov," Dimitri said, clearly annoyed.

"Oh, no problem," Adrian said shrugging. "It's not like I have something better to do at this moment."

"Next time you're late, you can just stay away," Dimitri said curtly.

I don't think Adrian hadn't even heard him. He turned to me and gave me his lazy smile. "Hey."

Dimitri glared at Adrian for a moment – Adrian didn't notice of course – and then continued with his lesson. I saw him looking at me a few times, but I ignored him. When class ended, I immediately got up and left, but Adrian stopped me.

"Hey, I'd like to talk to you," he asked. Then his eyes turned to Eddie. "In private."

Eddie looked at me and shrugged. "Okay, I'll see you later then."

"What's up?" I asked as soon as Eddie was gone.

"I wanted to know if you've made your decision," he said, leaning against the wall.

"I…" I sighed.

What should I say? Should I go out with him? Should I give him a chance? And what if Jesse found out? _Don't let Jesse control your life._

"Rose, you have made me wait for two weeks," Adrian said. "Can I please get an answer? Soon?"

I looked up when I heard a noise. Dimitri got out of the classroom and locked the door. He turned and our eyes met.

"I'm only asking for one date," Adrian pleaded.

Reluctantly, I looked at Adrian again and then finally, after taking a deep breath, I gave in. "Yes."

"Yes what?" Adrian asked confused.

"Yes, I'll go out with you," I said. Carefully, I looked over at Dimitri again, who stood frozen at the door as he looked at us.

"You mean it?" Adrian asked astonished.

"Yes. I mean it," I said, mustering up a smile.

He smiled broadly. "Great. Are you free this Friday night?"

"Yes. Where are you going to take me?"

Adrian winked. "That's a surprise. But make sure you wear a beautiful dress."

Just then, Dimitri cleared his throat. "Rose, can I talk to you for a second?"

Adrian glanced at Dimitri. "Well, I better leave then. Good luck, little girl," he said, eyeing Dimitri again.

"Bye, Adrian," I said.

I turned to Dimitri and crossed my arms. "What do you want to talk about?"

Apart from us, no one was in the hallway. Dimitri stepped closer and asked, "You're going out with Adrian?"

"Yeah," I said casually. "Is that a problem?"

"Yes!" he said. He bit his lip and ran a hand through his hair. I'd noticed he did that a lot when he was frustrated. "I mean…he's a player. He flirts with other girls all the time."

"I'll handle Adrian," I said, waving his worries away.

"Like you handled Jesse?" Dimitri said, raising an eyebrow. "What if he finds out that you're going out with someone else? What are you going to do then?"

I hadn't expected Dimitri to throw that in my face, but he was right, though. What was I going to do then? "I'll deal with it," I said curtly. "Don't you worry about it."

"You're only going to get in trouble," Dimitri continued. "And it will be for nothing because Adrian is just playing with you."

"What does it matter to you if he's just playing with me?" I exclaimed. "It's none of your business, anyway."

Dimitri clenched his jaw. "He's not right for you."

"Who is?" I said shrugging. "I always fall for the guys who turn out to be a freak or end up breaking my heart. One more can't make that much of a difference."

"Rose..." He reached out for me, but I took a step back.

"If that was all you wanted to talk about, then I'm going now," I interrupted him. "Bye, Mr. Belikov."

He almost looked hurt when I said that. I turned abruptly and left without looking back.

**DPOV**

I heard Rose before I saw her. I looked up and saw her enter the classroom with Eddie. He said something to her and she smiled. She used to smile at me like that too, but not anymore. As much as I wanted to keep staring at her, I had to start my class. Adrian interrupted me when he came strolling in, again too late.

"Nice of you to join us, Mr. Ivashkov," I said, repressing a sigh.

"Oh, no problem," Adrian said grinning while he took his seat in front of Rose. "It's not like I have something better to do at this moment."

"Next time you're late, you can just stay away."

It was like the guy didn't even hear me. He turned to Rose and said something to her. I glared at him, not just because he was late once again, but also because he was talking to Rose again. And he was sitting close to her. _Again._ I didn't like that. It made me feel jealous and I wondered if something was going on between them. But Rose didn't seem so interested in Adrian and I dismissed the thought. Maybe it was just Adrian who liked her.

When class was over, I took my stuff and walked to the door. I heard a voice in the hallway and when I stepped out of the classroom I saw that it was Adrian. He was talking to Rose. While I locked the door, I tried to listen what they were talking about.

"I'm only asking for one date," Adrian said.

I almost dropped my key when I heard that. I looked at Rose and our eyes met. _No, no…don't go out with him. Please say no._

Rose looked at Adrian again and said, "Yes."

I stared at her. I couldn't believe she'd said yes. My heart shattered and I felt like I couldn't breathe.

"Yes what?" Adrian asked, sounding confused. _Idiot._

"Yes, I'll go out with you," Rose answered.

_No, no, no. This couldn't be happening._

"You mean it?" Adrian asked.

_Please say it's a joke._

"Yes. I mean it," she said smiling.

They made plans for Friday night and Adrian said she should wear a beautiful dress. I clenched my fists. The thought of Rose going out with Adrian made me so jealous. Thinking of Rose in a beautiful dress and Adrian ogling her… It made me feel sick to my stomach. I tried not to think of what would happen Friday night. I knew Adrian only wanted to go out with her for her good looks and body. He was just that kind of guy. I saw him flirting with other girls in the hallway all the time when Rose wasn't around. I couldn't let her go out with him.

I cleared my throat. "Rose, can I talk to you for a second?"

Adrian glanced over. "Well, I better leave then. Good luck, little girl."

"Bye, Adrian," Rose said before she turned to me. "What do you want to talk about?"

Apart from us, no one was in the hallway so I stepped closer. "You're going out with Adrian?"

"Yeah. Is that a problem?"

I couldn't stop myself and exclaimed, "Yes!" I cursed inwardly. If I was going to get angry about it she would certainly go through with it. She was just that stubborn. I bit my lip and ran a hand through my hair. How was I going to say this without making her mad? "I mean…he's a player. He flirts with other girls all the time."

"I'll handle Adrian," she said, seeming careless.

That angered me. "Like you handled Jesse? What if he finds out that you're going out with someone else? What are you going to do then?"

"I'll deal with it," she said curtly. "Don't you worry about it."

The problem was that I did worry about it. She hadn't talked to me since that day I told her it had been a mistake to kiss her. I had no idea if Jesse had threatened her again in that time and I had no way of finding out unless she told me. That was not going to happen, though. Thus, I would worry about her until I knew she was alright.

"You're only going to get in trouble," I argued. "And it will be for nothing because Adrian is just playing with you."

"What does it matter to you if he's just playing with me?" she exclaimed. "It's none of your business, anyway."

This wasn't going well. She was still angry with me and now I was only making it worse. But I couldn't stop. She needed to know he was not good for her.

I clenched my jaw and tried to make her see reason. "He's not right for you."

"Who is?" she said shrugging. "I always fall for the guys who turn out to be a freak or end up breaking my heart. One more can't make that much of a difference."

"Rose…" I knew that comment was meant for me – at least the last part was meant for me – and I wanted to tell her that I hadn't wanted to break her heart. I hated that she was so angry with me and that she didn't trust me anymore. I wanted to fix things so badly, but I couldn't do that without admitting my true feelings for her. Without thinking, I reached out for her. She immediately took a step back.

"If that was all you wanted to talk about, then I'm going now," she said, giving me a cold look. "Bye, Mr. Belikov."

She turned abruptly and left. I stared at her retreating form. She'd never called me Mr. Belikov before. She must be really pissed then. She clearly didn't want my help anymore. Maybe I should let her go. Maybe Adrian did really like her and maybe he could make her happy and protect her from Jesse. Besides, it was not up to me to tell her who she should and shouldn't date. She had to decide what she wanted in her life and it was clear she didn't need me anymore. It really was time to move on.

**RPOV**

Dimitri didn't try to speak to me alone after that day. I had mixed feelings about that. I was still angry at him, but I was also sad that I'd lost him. I tried not to be too happy that Dimitri didn't want me to go out with Adrian because he'd probably just said that because he was worried and not because he would be jealous if I did.

Instead of thinking about him, I tried to focus more on my upcoming date with Adrian. I still didn't know if I'd made the right decision in saying yes to him. I only saw him as a friend, but maybe that could change into something more. The only way to find out was to go out on a date with him. My feelings for Dimitri hadn't changed, though, but I couldn't chase a dream that would never come true forever. I had to get over him and this might help.

But I was kind of afraid that Jesse might find out about the date. He'd been texting me a lot last week, asking if he could come over and talk like adults. I ignored him and that only angered him even more. I knew it was only a matter of time before I would see him again. I just didn't know it would be this soon.

It was Thursday and Eddie and I were walking toward the exit of the school building. Tomorrow would be the big day. My date with Adrian. Lissa was excited – more than I was, really – and wanted to come over tomorrow to help choose my outfit. Eddie had also heard about my date.

"So tomorrow is your big date, huh?" he teased.

I forced a smile. "Yeah."

"I didn't know you liked him that way," Eddie noted. "I thought you were just friends."

I shrugged. "Oh, well…" The fact was that I saw Adrian as just a friend, but I couldn't tell him that. "I'm good at hiding my feelings, I guess."

"But you'll let me know when he doesn't treat you right, okay?" Eddie said, his face serious.

I laughed. "Don't worry, Eddie. He's not going to do anything."

"I hope so. If he hurts you…" Eddie said warningly.

"Then you can kick his ass," I finished for him.

"I'll do more than that if he breaks your heart."

I smiled and gave him a half hug. "Thanks for looking out for me, Eddie."

He smiled too. "You know you can always count on me." He glanced at his clock. "I got to go. I'm late for my appointment."

I frowned. "Appointment?"

"Haircut," he said grinning as he brushed his hair out of his eyes. "I need it."

"Yeah, you do," I said laughing.

I turned and headed toward the exit. Suddenly, I came to a stop when I saw a figure standing there. I knew him all too well. Jesse. It figured he'd show up when I had to go home alone. I turned around again and started walking back to the school building. I could go inside and call my mom to ask if she could pick me up.

"Hey, where do you think you are going?"

Of course Jesse had seen me going back to the building and had come after me. His hand gripped my shoulder and he turned me around.

"Let go of me," I said, backing up.

"Do you think you can ignore me forever?" Jesse exclaimed.

"I was hoping to," I snapped.

"I told you I was going to find a way to see you again," he said grinning. "Now we are going to talk."

He took my arm and started pulling me toward the exit again.

"No! Let go of me!" I yelled. "I don't want to talk!"

"Shut up," Jesse hissed, "before someone hears you."

"You're crazy!" I said. "I am calling the police if you don't leave me alone right now!"

Suddenly, Jesse stopped and pushed me. I hadn't expected that and fell on the ground. I scrambled to my feet and took several steps back. He really was crazy.

"You're going to threaten me now?" he said. "You think I'm scared?"

I swallowed. "I mean it, Jesse. If you don't leave, I'll call the police."

I took my phone out and held it in my trembling hand. Slowly, Jesse approached me and I kept backing up until I hit the wall. Jesse took another step and studied me. Was he thinking of letting me leave? Was he taking my threat seriously? I hoped he was. But then, all of a sudden, he lunged forward and smacked the phone out of my hand. I yelped and tried to fight him off me, but he was stronger.

"Get off of me!" I screamed.

"If you think that's going to scare me away, you're wrong," he hissed in my ear as he pushed me against the wall. His hand went around my neck and I couldn't breathe anymore. I clawed at his hands, but his hand stayed where it was.

"Can't…breathe…" I managed to choke out.

He didn't hear me or just ignored it. "It's time for you to learn a lesson," he continued. "You are nothing but a little bitch and I'm going to make you pay."

I was seeing black spots in front of my eyes and something told me that was not good. And then, as quickly as he'd grabbed me, he let go. But that was not because he wanted to. Someone had grabbed him and knocked him over. I gasped for air and started coughing, sliding down the wall to sit. I looked up to see who my savior was and my eyes went wide when I saw who it was.

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**Who do you think it will be? And what do you think of Rose going out with Adrian? Do you think she's going to go through with it? **

**Please let me know what you think of this chapter. I hope you liked it :) **


	10. Chapter 10

**Happy Easter! I hope you guys have a wonderful day. So here's the next chapter and I'm sorry if I kept you waiting too long. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy. **

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**CHAPTER 10**

**DPOV**

I heard screams outside the school building. I immediately got up and ran outside to see what was going on. To my surprise and outrage I saw Rose pushed against the wall by Jesse. She was still screaming and trying to get him off her. I sprinted toward them and without hesitation, I grabbed him and knocked him to the ground. He got up quickly and turned to me, fists clenched.

"You again!" he hissed. "You really have to stop meddling with things that aren't your business!"

He attacked me, but I blocked him easily. He stumbled and I jerked him up by his shirt, slamming him against the wall. His eyes went wide with fear. I smirked. _There. That'll shut him up. _

"I tried to warn you last time," I said to him, "but apparently you won't listen so I'll have to do this the hard way."

He tried to kick me, but I dodged him. I slammed him against the wall again.

"Don't even think about it," I growled. "Now you are going to listen to me and if I were you I'd listen very carefully." He still tried to get free, but I was too strong for him. I could see the panic in his eyes. He was starting to get scared. "You're going to walk away right now before I call the police and demand a restraining order. And if I ever see you near Rose again – even if I see you just looking at her – I _will_ hurt you. This will look like nothing."

Technically, it was nothing. I'd made sure not to hurt him. I was just scaring him. It worked. Jesse stopped his attempts to get free and whimpered.

"You got that?" I barked.

He nodded. "Y-yes."

"I mean it," I said menacingly. "If I hear one complaint from Rose, I will find you."

He nodded again. "I-I won't bother her again. I promise."

"Then leave. _Now_." I let go of him.

Jesse didn't spare Rose another glance as he bolted to the exit. I immediately turned to Rose. She sat huddled on the ground, arms around her knees and eyes wide with fear.

I crouched down beside her. "Rose, are you okay?" She didn't answer and I was starting to get really worried. "Rose. Roza, please answer me."

She blinked and finally answered quietly, "I'm fine."

I let out a sigh of relief and leaned back to look her over. Her jeans was a little ripped and I noticed a scrape on her knee. Her neck was a little bruised, but apart from that she seemed okay. I didn't want to think about what could've happened if I hadn't heard her scream.

"Let's get you cleaned up," I said. "Can you stand?"

She nodded and I helped her get up. I brought her to a small room adjacent to the gym. There was a first aid kit on one of the shelves. I told Rose to sit down on the chair. I took the kit and sat down on the other chair across from her and started to disinfect her wound.

"How did you know where I was?" Rose croaked out after a few minutes of silence.

I looked up at her. "I heard you scream."

She nodded and I continued to clean her wound. I had a lot of questions, but I couldn't ask them now. I didn't know if she was still angry with me and I was certain that she wouldn't answer my questions if that was the case. After disinfecting her wound, I took a look at the bruises on her neck. There wasn't much I could do about that. Gently, I traced the bruises with my fingers. Rose flinched.

"Does it hurt?" I asked softly.

"No, it's okay," she responded quietly. "Could be worse."

I nodded and had to bite my tongue to keep myself from asking why she hadn't told me – or anyone – that things had gotten worse with Jesse. I'd thought she'd finally told her mother, but apparently she hadn't. Otherwise this wouldn't have happened.

Tears suddenly filled her eyes and then she said, voice trembling, "T-thank you. Thank you for saving me."

"It's fine," I said. "Don't worry about it."

"I don't understand, though," she whispered as she looked down at her hands.

"Don't understand what?" I asked confused.

She looked up at me again. "Why you did it. I don't understand why you saved me."

I frowned. "Why wouldn't I save you?"

Her bottom lip started to quiver. "I've been so mean to you. I was a huge bitch to you and you're still here to help me – to protect me from Jesse. If I were you, I would have… I don't know, but I sure as hell wouldn't have helped me out."

"Rose, I will always help you. Even if you decide to hate me for the rest of your life," I said, finally telling everything what was on my mind. "And no matter what you think, I _do_ care about you. You have no idea how worried I was about you these last few weeks. I didn't know if you were alright. I didn't know if Jesse was still threatening you. I didn't know anything."

"I'm sorry," Rose whispered. A tear leaked out of the corner of her eye and I gently wiped it away. "I'm so sorry, Dimitri."

"Ssh, it's alright," I said softly. "But please don't ever do that to me again, okay? Please just tell me next time if Jesse is still a problem. I don't care if you're still mad at me. I just need to know that you are alright."

For the first time in a while, Rose smiled. "I don't think Jesse's going to be a problem anymore. You scared the crap out of him."

"Well, maybe I should've done that sooner," I said and I smiled back.

She laughed. "Maybe." Then she became serious again and said, "I'm not mad at you, Dimitri. Not anymore. I had no right to get angry. It shouldn't have surprised me what you said to me after New Year's. And you're completely right. You're my teacher and I'm your student. It's crazy to think that something could ever happen between us."

I should be happy that she'd finally realized that we could never be together, but I wasn't. Instead, I felt sad. I was starting to think that it wasn't _that_ crazy. After today, after what I'd seen what had happened with Rose and what could've happened... I realized now that I was willing to risk my job to be with Rose. I didn't want to lose her and I knew that was going to happen if she started dating Adrian. She would move on. With Adrian. I already felt jealous just seeing her talk to Adrian. How was I going to feel when she was actually dating him?

"Thank you for everything you did for me, Dimitri," Rose said, interrupting my thoughts.

She started to get up. It was now or never. If I wanted to be with her, I needed to tell her now.

"Wait." My fingers closed around her wrist and she gave me a questioning look. "I lied."

She frowned and sat down again. "About what?"

"About what I said to you after New Year's," I explained. "I knew exactly what I was doing when I kissed you. I _wanted_ to kiss you, because…" I sighed. _You can't back down now, Dimitri. You have to tell her the truth._ "Because I have feelings for you," I admitted. "I shouldn't, but I can't help the way I feel about you. I know I said to you it was a mistake to kiss you, but I only said that because it would be dangerous for us to be together. If anyone would find out, they'd expel you and I would lose my job."

And then I didn't say anything about the age difference. Because that was also a problem since she was still a minor. But I didn't care about all that. Not anymore. All I cared about was her. I was done hiding my feelings for her.

I reached out and took her hands in mine. "But I didn't mean it, Rose. I didn't think it was a mistake. I just thought it was better this way."

Rose stared at me for a long time and then said at last, "Why are you telling me this now? I mean, you were right when you told me nothing can happen between us. For so many reasons."

She was already moving on. I didn't want that. I couldn't move on. Not when I would see her every day – with Adrian. I couldn't lose her. Not again.

"I know I said that, but… I realized you're more important to me. I wished I hadn't waited so long to tell you the truth. I wished I had told you sooner how I really feel about you. I'm sorry, Roza. I didn't want to hurt you. I just thought it was for the best. I really am sorry." I scooted closer to her. Our foreheads were almost touching. A few more inches and I would be able to kiss her, but I resisted the urge. "I know I don't have the right to ask this, but please don't go out with Adrian."

She looked away and for a moment I thought she would go out with Adrian anyway, no matter what I said. I wouldn't blame her, though. After how much I'd hurt her, I had no right to ask her to cancel her date with Adrian. But that didn't mean I couldn't try.

"If you don't want to be with me, that's fine, but please…don't go out with Adrian. I don't think I can handle that." I was begging right now. I'd never begged for something before in my entire life, but I knew it would kill me if she'd go out with him so I had to try. "Please don't go out with him…"

Rose looked at me again. She was so close. So, so close… Before I could stop myself, my lips touched hers. She didn't push me away and I took that as a good sign.

"I'm so sorry for hurting you," I whispered against her lips. She didn't say anything. She just stared. I didn't know what she was thinking and it was unnerving me. "Please say something, Roza."

"What if someone finds out?" she said at last, her voice soft.

"I don't know," I said honestly. Being with her would be dangerous, but my feelings for Rose had grown so strong I was willing to risk everything for her. I couldn't think rationally when she was around. "I don't know what will happen if someone finds out. It probably won't be good, but right now I don't want to think about that."

To my surprise and delight, she closed the small distance between us and pressed her lips against mine. I pulled her closer and wrapped my arms around her. Her arms wounded around my neck as we kissed. When we broke away, I looked at her in amazement.

"Does this mean you forgive me?" I asked.

She smiled. "Yes."

"And you won't go out with Adrian?"

"I won't go out with Adrian," she said.

I sighed in relief. "Thank you."

"I wasn't looking forward to it anyway," she admitted. "I don't like him that way. He's just a friend. To be honest, I only did it to try to make you jealous. Sorry." She smiled sheepishly.

I was surprised to hear that. I thought she really had wanted to go out with Adrian. I was glad, though, that that was not the case. "Well, it worked. You have no idea how jealous I was."

"Sorry," she repeated.

I just smiled and kissed her. I was so happy I could do that now whenever I wanted. Well, not exactly whenever I wanted. We had to be careful if we wanted to keep this a secret. Good thing that I'd closed the door when I brought her here.

After another half an hour, we finally got up and left. I was dreading to leave her, but we couldn't stay here all day. I walked with her toward the exit.

"Would you mind if I called you later?" I asked hesitantly. I knew that I'd already miss her as soon as she left for home.

Rose smiled. "Of course not."

I smiled too. "Okay. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye, comrade."

My heart skipped a beat as she said that. I hadn't heard her that nickname in a while. I was happy that the old Rose was back. And now she was all mine. Smiling, I turned and walked back to the parking lot. For the first time in weeks, I was happy again.

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**I know this was a short chapter, but I hope that most of you are happy with it. I was actually torn for a moment when I read all the reviews. Most of you wanted it to be Dimitri who saved her, but I was surprised that there were a couple who wanted it to be Adrian and that Rose would seriously consider going out with Adrian. ****So I was thinking of letting Rose go out with Adrian, but then I decided I would stick with my original plan (Dimitri saving Rose and admitting his feelings for her). **

**Some of you will probably be disappointed that Rose won't go out with Adrian, (and that he wasn't the one who saved Rose) but one reviewer pointed out that Dimitri is going to get jealous and then it's going to go on and on forever between the three of them. I don't want that either. I also don't think it's fair for Adrian if Rose would date him when she still has feelings for Dimitri so that's why I let Dimitri come clean about his feelings for Rose. **

**I hope I haven't upset anyone too much and that you're not giving up on this story, because there's still a lot in store for Rose and Dimitri, and Adrian will still be a lot in this story and I assure you, he'll get his happy ending too. **

**I'm sorry for the long note. If you have any questions or anything else, leave a review or PM me :) **

**Have a nice day! ^^ **


	11. Chapter 11

**Once again, thank you so much for all the reviews! Here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy. :) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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**CHAPTER 11**

**RPOV**

I almost skipped home. I hadn't been this happy in a while. Yeah, there were a couple of things that had happened today that I'd like to forget about, like Jesse threatening me and choking me. But what happened afterwards – Dimitri saving me and telling me he felt the same way about me – that was something I would never want to forget. I wished he'd told me sooner, but better late than never, I guess. I knew now that this was also the reason why Dimitri had tried to convince me to not go out with Adrian a few days ago. Thinking of that now, I hoped Adrian wouldn't be too mad when I'd tell him we couldn't go out. I didn't want to think of that just yet, though. I would worry about it tomorrow.

"Where were you?" my mom demanded as soon as I got home. "And why are you smiling like that?"

Uh-oh. I thought she'd be still at work. "I was at school," I lied swiftly, putting up the collar of my coat to cover the bruises on my neck. "I had to redo a test. That's why I'm late."

She frowned. "Why didn't you tell me that?"

"I thought I'd told you. Sorry."

Her face softened and she asked me, "How did the test go?"

"Fine," I said, smiling again.

"You seem happy," she noticed. "Did you and Jesse make up?"

I groaned. Did she really have to bring him up? "No, we haven't. And we won't," I added.

Sighing, she turned around and walked back to the kitchen. "Dinner is in an hour," she called.

I went to my room and did some homework. Later that night Dimitri called and we talked for over an hour. I loved hearing his voice and I couldn't wait to see him tomorrow. Going to school suddenly didn't seem so bad.

But when I arrived there the next day, I already wanted to go back home. _Don't be a chicken and just tell Adrian you changed your mind._

I told Lissa that I wasn't going to go through with it and she got mad at me for blowing off my date with Adrian. I hadn't expected her to get that angry. I could only hope Adrian wouldn't be as angry as Lissa. I didn't find him until after lunch. He was outside, smoking. For once I didn't tell him to put the cigarette out.

"Little girl," Adrian said cheerfully. "What brings you here?" His smile faded when he saw my serious expression. "Is something the matter?"

"Yeah…" I bit my lip. "I can't go out with you tonight, Adrian."

"Oh." He frowned. "You have to go somewhere? We can do it some other time. Maybe Saturday?"

I shook my head. "No, Adrian. I just can't. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever." I sighed. "I haven't been completely honest with you. I like someone else."

"Oh." He threw his cigarette on the ground and stamped it out. "Who do you like? Someone I know?"

"You don't know him," I lied. Adrian narrowed his eyes. I was wondering if he was mad. I didn't blame him if he was. "I'm sorry."

"Nah, it's fine," he said shrugging. He seemed indifferent, like he didn't care, but I could see through his façade. I felt bad about it, but I had no other choice. "Just wish you'd told me sooner. But seriously, who is this guy?" he asked curiously.

"I…I can't tell you, Adrian," I said. "He doesn't know how I feel about him." That was a lie, but it was the only reason I could think of why I couldn't possibly tell him.

"So I do know him," Adrian said smirking. "Otherwise you wouldn't keep it a secret from me."

I sighed. "I have to go, Adrian. I'm sorry. I hope we can still be friends."

I turned and wanted to walk away, but then Adrian suddenly said, "It's him, isn't it?"

I turned around again to face him and frowned. "Who?"

"Belikov," Adrian said.

Oh God. How did he know that?

"I don't know what you're talking about," I lied.

"I can see it by the way he looks at you and how you look at him," Adrian continued. "I waited two weeks for an answer and then you finally said yes to me. But I realize now that you agreed to go out with me because Belikov was in the hallway." What the hell? Was he a mind reader? "That's what he wanted to talk about, right? He asked you not to go out with me."

"Adrian…" I started, unsure of what to say. Damn. How I was going to get out of this mess?

"It's fine," Adrian interrupted. "Don't worry about it."

"But…"

Adrian pulled out another cigarette. "I won't tell anyone, little girl. Your secret is safe with me."

I sighed. Not knowing what else to say, I said, "Thank you, Adrian."

He turned away from me and I left him alone with his cigarettes. He'd only been here for a couple of weeks and he'd already figured it out. Hell, he'd even known about Dimitri's feelings for me before I knew. I really hoped Adrian would keep this for himself. Sighing again, I returned to Lissa and the rest of the gang while trying to figure out how I was going to tell Dimitri that Adrian knew about us. Not even a day had gone by and our plan to keep this a secret was already failing.

Lissa didn't talk to me for the rest of the day. She was angrier than Adrian himself for canceling the date. I didn't understand why she was so mad. It's not like I hurt _her_, right?

I was feeling a little bit nervous when it was time for history class. There was no reason to, but I couldn't help it. Eddie walked with me to class. I didn't see Adrian anywhere and I was wondering if he'd show up for class.

"Why aren't you going out with Adrian tonight?" Eddie asked. "I thought you liked him."

"I do like him, but as a friend," I said. "I said yes to him because I didn't want to hurt his feelings." And that's exactly what I had done now. I should've never said yes in the first place.

Eddie gave me a sympathetic smile. "Don't worry. He'll get over it. And maybe this is a good thing for him," he added gruffly. "He always acts like he can get everyone he wants. Now he'll realize that's not true."

I frowned. "You got a problem with him?"

"No," he said, his face turning into a storm cloud all of a sudden. "Not until I saw him flirting with Jill earlier today."

"Jill? He knows that you're dating her, right?" I said, puzzled.

"Yes," Eddie said through gritted teeth.

Stupid question, I know. Everyone knew they were dating. They were so madly in love that it was hard _not_ to notice they were together.

"So what did Jill do?" I asked.

"She slapped him in the face-"

I gasped. "Really?" I hadn't expected sweet, shy Jill to do that.

"And then she apologized to him," Eddie finished.

"That sounds more like her," I said laughing.

"What's with the scarf?" Eddie suddenly asked. "We're not outside, you know."

I shrugged, trying to appear casual. "I'm cold."

Eddie looked at me with worry. "Are you ill?"

I shook my head. "No, don't worry. I'm just a little cold, that's all."

We walked into the classroom and my eyes immediately went to Dimitri. He looked up and smiled at me. My heart fluttered and I quickly looked away before Eddie noticed. We sat down and to my surprise, Adrian walked in a minute later. He sat down on the other side of me and threw his arm around my shoulder.

"Hey, little girl," he said, giving me his lazy smile. "You're looking good today. But then again, you always do."

"Adrian, what are you doing?" I hissed.

Eddie frowned and I saw Dimitri glancing over at us. He clenched his jaw when he saw Adrian's arm around my shoulder.

Adrian leaned closer. For a second, I thought he was going to kiss me, but then his lips moved to my ear.

"It's not because I can't date you that I can't flirt with you."

"Stop it," I whispered. "I know what you're doing."

He flashed me a smile. "Do you? And what's that?"

"You're trying to make him jealous," I said in a hushed voice. I didn't want to say Dimitri's name because Eddie was sitting next to me and he could probably hear us. He was already regarding us suspiciously.

"I hope it's working," Adrian said. He leaned back and removed his arm from my shoulders. Then he looked up at Dimitri and gave him an innocent smile. Dimitri glared at him and if I were Adrian I would've cringed. I remembered how threatening Dimitri had looked yesterday when he'd slammed Jesse into the wall. I hoped I would never have to face a pissed off Dimitri.

When class finished, I waited until everyone had left. I was glad that Eddie was in a hurry. Otherwise he would've stayed or asked why I was waiting around.

"See you later, little girl," Adrian said and he winked.

"What's going on, Roza?" Dimitri asked as soon as we were alone. "I thought you'd tell Adrian that you wouldn't go out with him anymore."

I sighed. "I did tell him that."

"Then why was Adrian acting like...usual? Shouldn't he be more upset instead of hanging around you like that?" I could see from his expression that he didn't like the way Adrian was hanging around me.

"He's trying to make you jealous," I explained. "He, um, guessed why I didn't want to go out with him anymore."

"What… Does he know about us?" Dimitri said, astonished.

I nodded and quickly said, "I didn't tell him, I swear. He said he saw it by the way we look at each other. And on Monday, when I said yes to him and you wanted to talk to me… He'd figured you wanted to change my mind about it."

"Is he going to tell?" he asked.

"No, he said he wouldn't," I answered. "And it's not like I confirmed that we are together. Even if he'd tell someone, he has no proof."

He nodded. "Okay. I hope he keeps it to himself."

"I'm sorry," I said, looking down at the floor.

"Hey, it's not your fault," Dimitri said, his voice soft. He stepped closer and lifted my chin with his fingers so he could look me in the eyes. Slowly, he leaned in and kissed me softly.

Suddenly I pulled away and Dimitri gave me a confused look. "The door. If someone sees – oh, you already closed it. Good." I let out a sigh of relief.

Dimitri chuckled. "You think I'd let the door open for everyone to watch?" He smiled at me fondly and lifted his hand to caress my cheek. Then his smile faded.

I frowned. "What?"

He sighed. "I don't want you to go, but you probably should. Before someone starts wondering where you are."

I nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right."

I wanted to leave, but Dimitri grabbed my wrist. "Wait. Did you hear something from Jesse?"

I shook my head.

"Did you tell your mother about the bruises?" he asked.

Once again, I shook my head.

He sighed. "Roza…"

"He won't hurt me anymore, Dimitri. You chased him away. He'll take your threat seriously and if he doesn't…well, then he's just stupid," I concluded with a shrug.

"If he even sends you one text…" Dimitri said. "One text and I'll go to your mother myself if you won't."

"But that's not going to-"

"Rose, he's dangerous," he interrupted. "He's gone for now and I truly hope he'll stay away, but if that's not the case then I want you to tell your mother the truth. No excuses."

I sighed. I knew he was right, but I wanted to believe Jesse would stay away now.

"Promise me, Roza."

"Fine. I promise I'll tell my mom if he comes back. Even if he sends me one text," I added when Dimitri gave me a doubtful look. "Are you happy now?"

"I'm not doing this to pester you. I just want you to be safe," he said softly, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

I gave him a small smile. "I know." Glancing at the clock, I sighed and said, "I should go now. Bye, Dimitri."

Walking toward the door, I looked over my shoulder one last time and saw him looking at me with that beautiful smile on his face. "Bye, Roza," he said.

I sighed happily and started searching for my friends before they'd notice my absence.

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**Uh-oh. Adrian knows. You think he's going to tell? **

**This week is kind of busy so I'm sorry if the chapters are a little shorter than usual, but otherwise you would have to wait longer for a chapter so I guess this is better?**

**Hope you have a great day! Please leave a review on your way out ;)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank you for the reviews! And to answer your question: Lissa was mad because Rose first had said yes to Adrian and then suddenly changed her mind, without an explanation. And also because I'm not a big fan of Lissa :p.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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**CHAPTER 12**

**DPOV**

I was still smiling, even after Roza had left for a while now. Just thinking about her made me smile. But then it faded as I remembered how Adrian had acted around her. I hadn't liked the way he'd put his arm around her shoulder and how he'd leaned close to her, whispering things in her ear. I'd like to know what he'd said to her, but Rose had assured me he was just doing it to make me jealous.

I was kind of surprised that Adrian knew the truth about us. I wondered if he'd really figured it out by the way I looked at Rose. Maybe it was true. Maybe he did read it on my face, because honestly, I couldn't control my feelings when it involved Rose. I knew I should be more worried about him keeping our secret, but in truth, I was more worried about what he'd do next to make me jealous. _Don't think about it, Dimitri. He can flirt with her all he wants, but you are with Roza and he's not going to change that._

I just needed to pretend that I didn't care and maybe he'd stop then. I hoped so, because sometimes that guy made me want to punch him. Not just for being so friendly with Rose, but also for being always late and never paying attention in my class. He was so careless. I wondered if he was like this in all of his classes or just mine so he could piss me off.

As I'd expected, Adrian kept flirting with Rose the following days. To my satisfaction, Rose waved him off. He could try and win her over as much as he wanted, but I knew she wouldn't fall for it.

"Have you heard anything from Jesse yet?" I asked her one day.

It was Friday and school was just out. Everyone was gone home and we were all alone in the classroom. This was the first time in a week we'd been alone. It was hard for Rose to sneak away from her friends during the breaks and she always had to come up with a lie if she wanted to leave to see me. It was probably a good thing we couldn't see each other that much here, because otherwise it might get suspicious.

She shook her head and smiled. "No. You definitely scared him away."

"Not even one text?" I asked while stroking her beautiful hair.

It had been a little over a week since the incident with Jesse and I wanted to know if he had taken my threat seriously.

"No, not even one text," Rose answered, leaning her head on my chest. "So I guess I won't have to tell my mom."

"Good." I wrapped my arms around her waist and kissed the top of her head. "I still want you to be careful, though."

She looked up at me again. "I will."

I bent down and pressed my lips against hers. Her arms went around my neck as I deepened the kiss. After a while Rose pulled away and I knew it was time for her to go home.

"You have to go," I said, trying to hide my disappointment. I knew we couldn't stay here forever, but I didn't want her to leave so soon.

"I'm sorry," she said, "but if I don't go home now my mom will wonder where I am."

I nodded in understanding. I gave her another quick kiss and then she left. I waited around for five more minutes and then I left too and walked to the parking lot.

When I got home, I was surprised to see Viktoria at my doorstep.

"Vika, what are you doing here?" I asked.

She looked up and got up from the floor. "Hey Dimka," she said smiling. "Do you mind if I stay here for a couple of hours? Sonya is at home and she's been nagging a lot. I'm not in the mood for that right now."

"Hormones?" I said.

She groaned. "Yes. Why can't she be more like Karolina? She wasn't like that when she was pregnant."

I opened the door and she went inside. She flung herself on the couch, kicked off her shoes and turned on the TV.

"Are you staying for dinner?" I asked, putting my stuff away.

"If you don't mind," she said, without looking away from the TV.

I sat down beside her and asked, "Don't you have some homework to do?"

She groaned. "Ugh, no. And please don't remind me of school."

I frowned. "Did something happen?"

Viktoria had been adamant on going to a different school when we moved here, because she thought it would be too weird if I was her teacher. I thought the same, but now I couldn't keep an eye on her and I didn't know if something was going on with her.

"Are you being bullied?" I asked when she didn't respond.

"No," she exclaimed, giving me a weird look. "I just don't want to talk about school."

"Fine. Then we'll talk about something else. How are things going with Nikolai? Are you guys dating yet?"

I immediately regretted asking about him when Viktoria started to babble away. She was talking so fast that I barely understood what she was saying. It went on and on and after a while I just nodded, not really listening anymore to what she was saying. When she was finally done, she looked at me expectantly.

"So you _are_ dating him?" I asked, uncertain.

She rolled her eyes. "Have you been listening at all, Dimka? I told you he kissed me!" she said, excitement in her eyes. "And he asked me out _again_. So yes, we are dating. Not officially yet, but…" She started rambling again, but then she cut herself off and let out a deep breath. "Anyway, how's it going with you? Did you meet someone yet?" she asked teasingly.

I didn't like where this was going and I quickly tried to change the subject. "So when's your next date with Nikolai?"

"No, no," she said grinning. "Don't try to change the subject, Dimka. Did you meet a girl yet?"

"Let's not talk about my love life, okay?" I said, uncomfortable.

"Have you been going out at all the past few months?" she asked.

"Why should I go out?" I said. "I'm twenty-four, Vika, and I have a job. I don't have time to party. I'm an adult, not a teenager like you. And I do go out," I added defensively. "Just not to parties."

She rolled her eyes. "I don't mean to the grocery shop, Dimka," she said irritated. "I mean, hang out with some friends. Meet new people."

"Why would I have to meet new people?" I said. "I'm content with the people who are in my life right now."

"How are you going to get a girlfriend if you don't _ever_ go out?" she said, throwing up her hands in exasperation. "Reading those crappy books aren't going to help you get a girlfriend," she continued, pointing at my westerns.

It probably wasn't a good idea to point out that I had a girlfriend. It was only going to lead to questions I couldn't answer. So instead, I said nothing.

"You're not still wallowing over Tasha, right?" Viktoria continued. "That was ages ago and I think you-"

"Please don't talk about her," I said gruffly. "I don't want to hear anything about her. And no, I'm not wallowing over Tasha. She's out of my life and I'm glad about that so I would appreciate it if you don't mention her again." Vika looked taken aback and I immediately felt bad about being so harsh on her. I sighed and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to let it come out like that. I just don't want to talk about her."

She nodded and gave me a sympathetic look. "I understand."

I let out another sigh. "I'm going to take a shower."

I left Viktoria on the couch and she turned her attention to the TV again while I went to the bathroom. All the while I tried not to think of Tasha, but now that Vika had mentioned her… I hadn't thought about her in months and I wished it had stayed that way.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"Dimka?" Vika said through the door.

"What?"

"I'm going home now," she said.

I frowned. "I thought you'd be staying for dinner."

"I changed my mind. Sonya is coming over apparently and I don't want to be here then."

"What? But-"

"Bye Dimka!"

I heard a door slam shut and then it was quiet. I stripped the rest of my clothes off and took a quick shower. If Sonya was going to come over, I didn't want to keep her waiting. That surely wouldn't improve her already bad mood. When I left the bathroom, she was already here and she didn't look happy.

I gulped. "How did you come in, Sonya?"

"Viktoria let me in just before she left," she answered. "Now, care to explain _this_?"

She held out a phone – _my_ phone.

"Hey, what are you doing with my phone?" I exclaimed.

I reached out, but she pulled her hand back. "Not before you explain to me why-"

"Explain what?" I asked.

"This!"

She handed me the phone and my eyes widened. I looked up at Sonya, who looked at me with anger, and then back to the text.

_Still didn't hear from J. Good, huh? Can't wait to see you tomorrow, comrade.  
__Xoxo, Rose. _

I swallowed heavily. I must've gotten that text when I was in the shower. I couldn't remember putting my phone on the kitchen table, but apparently I had and now Sonya had found it and read the text.

"And that's not the only text you got from her," Sonya said icily. "There was a whole bunch."

I was too angry to be concerned about the fact she'd read all the texts and now knew about Rose and me.

"You…you went through my phone?" I said outraged.

For a second she looked ashamed, but then it disappeared and was replaced by anger. "Your phone was on the table and it buzzed so I took a look and-"

"You had no right to look into my phone!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah, fine. I had no right," Sonya snapped angrily. "But you know how nosy I am! I couldn't help myself. Believe me, I wish I hadn't looked." She shook her head and exclaimed, "How could you, Dimka? Rose Hathaway? She's a student! How did this happen?"

I was still so angry at her, but I knew that wasn't going to help this situation. "I…" I sighed. "It just happened."

"That's bullshit. If you're not going to tell me, then I'm going," Sonya said, getting up. "I hope you come to your senses, because this, whatever it is that's going on with you and Rose...it's stupid."

And with that said, she left.

It took me a moment before I realized I should go after her and try to explain before she'd tell anyone else, but when I got downstairs and ran outside the building, her car was already gone. Cursing loudly, I went back inside.

**RPOV**

A couple of days had passed and I still hadn't heard anything from Jesse. I was relieved. He'd apparently decided it was best to let me go – or he was afraid that Dimitri would really hurt him next time. Either way, I was happy he left me alone.

"You look happy," Eddie noted.

"Do I?" I said smiling.

He nodded. "Yeah. Is there a reason you're so happy?"

"No," I said as I opened my locker. "I'm just…happy."

Actually, there was a reason – no, there were two reasons. One was that Jesse didn't bother me anymore and the other reason was Dimitri. Just thinking about him made me feel better.

"Shit," I muttered when I realized I'd forgotten my biology book in Ms. Hale's classroom.

"What's wrong?" Eddie asked frowning.

"I forgot my book," I said sighing. "I'll be right back." I walked back to the classroom and knocked on the door.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," I said as I opened the door, "but I think I forgot my book here. Do you mind if I-"

I fell silent when I saw Ms. Hale and Dimitri looking at me. I could see he was just as surprised to see me here as I was. I cleared my throat and asked, "Am I interrupting? I could come back later."

"No, it's fine," Ms. Hale said rather harshly.

I glanced at Dimitri, who gave me a small smile. I made my way toward my seat and saw my book lying on my desk. Behind me, Ms. Hale and Dimitri were having a hushed conversation. It seemed like they were having a discussion.

"Whatever," Ms. Hale said, sounding angry. "I don't want to hear it anymore. We'll talk later, Dimitri."

She took her purse from the desk and stormed off.

"No, wait!" Dimitri called after her.

But she'd already left. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. I just stood there, not knowing what to do. I wondered what was going on, but I wasn't sure if I should ask. It was none of my business, anyway.

"Is everything okay?" I asked instead.

He smiled, but I could see it was fake. "Yeah, everything's fine."

"You sure?" I asked.

He nodded and walked toward me. "Yes. Don't worry, Roza." This time his smile was more genuine. "Are you okay? Did you hear something from-"

"I'm fine, comrade. And no, I haven't heard anything from Jesse," I said smiling.

"Good." Dimitri looked relieved. "That's good." He glanced at his watch and then ran his hand through his hair again.

"Are you sure everything's okay?" I asked frowning. "You look nervous."

"I'm fine," he answered.

"Okay," I said shrugging. "Well, I should go to class. Don't want to be late."

Especially not with Kirova. She was our English teacher. I couldn't stand her. She was boring and she was always pissed at me for some reason. She'd never liked me. I didn't even know why, but I didn't care. I didn't like her either.

Dimitri followed me outside the classroom. Before going to the opposite direction, he gave me another smile.

"What took you so long?" Eddie asked when I finally sat down next to him in class.

"I couldn't find my book," I responded.

"You're lucky Kirova isn't here yet," he said.

After two more minutes she finally entered. Like always, she glared at everyone and then started with her lesson. I didn't understand why she'd become a teacher if she hated students so much – me in particular.

Like often during this class, I let my mind wander to happier things. But soon I thought about what had happened in the biology classroom again. Again I wondered what that discussion between Dimitri and Ms. Hale had been about.

After class, when I walked to my locker, Mia caught up with me. "Hey Rose. I was wondering if you'd like to go shopping with me on Saturday? I need to find a dress and I'd like someone's opinion."

I looked at her. "I don't know, Mia. I'm not good at giving advice about clothes. Maybe you should ask Lissa. She's better at this stuff."

"I have asked her, but she needs to go to some family party with Christian," Mia said. "So will you please go with me? I hate shopping on my own and Mason doesn't want to go with me."

She batted her eyelashes and I laughed.

"You know that's not going to work on me, right?" I said grinning. "I'm not Mason."

"It doesn't work on Mason either when it involves shopping," she grumbled.

I chuckled. "Maybe you need to try harder."

"Maybe. But will you please go with me? I'm asking you as a friend," Mia said pleadingly.

I sighed. "Fine. I'll go with you."

Mia smiled. "Great."

When Saturday came, I was starting to regret that I had said yes to her invitation to go to the mall with her. I liked Mia a lot. She was a good friend, but I'd forgotten how much she could talk. I just nodded and occasionally said something when she looked at me expectantly. After a couple of hours I had a headache from hearing her talk so much. I was glad when she found her dress. It was blue and strapless. The hem came to her knees. She looked really good in it and the color of the dress matched her eyes. She also bought black pumps to wear with the dress.

"Thank you so much for coming with me today," Mia said. I nodded along with her, but didn't really listen. I couldn't wait to get home and get some rest. "I really had a great time. Too bad Lissa couldn't come with us. Don't you think she spends too much time with Christian lately? Yeah, I think so too… Hey, look who's there!"

"Who?" I asked, looking up. I followed her gaze and my eyes went wide in shock when I saw who she was looking at.

Mia giggled. "Do you think they're dating?" she asked, glancing at Dimitri and Ms. Hale again. "Ms. Hale is very lucky if that's true."

I stared at them. They were sitting on a bench and were talking. Suddenly, Dimitri put his arm around her shoulders. My blood turned cold as I watched them.

"Rose? Rose, do you hear me?"

I snapped my head back up to her. "What?"

"Are you okay?" Mia asked frowning. "You look pale."

"I'm fine," I said and I turned away from Dimitri and Ms. Hale.

I couldn't look at them anymore. I just wanted to leave and forget about this. I suddenly remembered what had happened earlier this week when I went to retrieve my book in her classroom. They had been in a discussion there. I had no idea what it had been about and Dimitri had said everything was fine, but now I was starting to wonder if there was more going on than just a little discussion with a colleague. It was not the first time I'd seen them together and they seemed to be pretty close. I'd never questioned any of it until now. What bugged me most of all was that when I'd sent Dimitri a text half an hour ago, he'd said he was at home, grading papers. _Liar_, I thought.

I wondered about what else he'd lied. Did he even really care about me? Or was that another lie? Maybe I was nothing more than a student to him. A student he could fool around with occasionally. What would Ms. Hale say when she found out he was having an affair with one of his students? I bet she wouldn't be happy about that. _No, don't think the worst. He wouldn't do this. There must be a reasonable explanation for this…_

But then why had he lied about where he was?

"Actually, I'm not feeling very well," I said to Mia. "I think I should go home now."

"Are you going to be okay?" Mia asked, concerned. "Do you need me to go with you?"

"N-no, I'll be fine," I said, faking a smile.

Without saying another word, I started walking toward the exit. I suppressed my tears as I went home, but when I finally got there I let them out. I couldn't believe he'd do this to me. I thought he'd meant it when he said he had feelings for me. And why would he risk his job and his girlfriend for me? Was he stupid or was his girlfriend not enough for him? I felt sick to my stomach thinking that he'd only used me. I didn't even understand why. Why would he do this after everything that had happened between us? I knew one thing though: I didn't want anything to do with him anymore.

The rest of the day, I stayed at home, crying, because I'd been so stupid to believe in him. It was a mistake I wasn't going to make again.

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**It never seems to be going well for Rose and Dimitri. Rose thinks Dimitri is seeing someone else, but you all know he isn't. But what's up with Ms. Hale then? And why would he lie to Rose? And what about Sonya? **

**This chapter might be confusing, but some of you might figure out what's going on. But don't worry, it will be all cleared up next chapter. ;)**

**Let me know what you think of this chapter :)**

**And have a nice day! ^^ **


	13. Chapter 13

**Thank you for the reviews, follows and favorites! A few of you has figured out what's going on. The rest of you will find out now ;)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy. **

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**CHAPTER 13**

**DPOV**

I couldn't wait to see Roza on Monday. I wanted to know why she was ignoring me. I'd called her a couple of times yesterday, but she never picked up the phone. I'd also sent a few texts, but I'd gotten no response. Had I done something wrong that I didn't know of? I was starting to get worried and texted her again, asking if everything was okay. Again no response.

The day went by slowly and I was anxious by the time Rose walked into the classroom, followed by Eddie and Adrian. I looked up at her and smiled. She glared at me and turned away sharply. Sitting down between Eddie and Adrian, she ignored me completely during class. I couldn't really say something right now so I just tried to focus on my lesson. It was hard, though. I kept wondering why she was so angry with me. I couldn't recall that I'd done something wrong.

After class she left before I could stop her or say something. Adrian smirked at me before running after her. I clenched my fists when I saw Adrian putting his arm around her shoulder. She didn't push him away. What was going on? I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. She didn't want to talk to me now, but swas going to have to talk to me someday. She couldn't ignore me forever.

But apparently she could. She did so for the rest of the week. One day I saw her in the hallway. She saw me, too, but she just glared at me. I looked at her pleadingly, silently asking what I'd done wrong, but she just turned away from me and left with her friends.

When Friday came around, I was desperate. I needed to know why she was acting this way. I decided I was going to talk to her today after class, even if she didn't want to.

When the bell rang and everyone got up, I quickly said, "Rose, can I talk to you for a second?"

Everyone had heard me so she couldn't go running now and she knew it. Eddie gave her a questioning look and she shrugged.

"No, you don't have to wait," I heard her say to him. "Jill is probably waiting for you anyway."

He nodded and left with the rest of the students. When everyone was gone, Rose turned to me.

"What is it?" she asked, crossing her arms.

I closed the door and turned to her. "You tell me," I said. "I've been trying to talk to you all week, but you keep ignoring me and I don't know why!"

She snorted and looked away.

"Roza, please," I said softly as I approached her. I reached out to her, but she took a step back. I must have really pissed her off. "What did I do wrong? Please tell me. I hate that you're angry with me and I don't know why… I can't fix it if you won't tell me."

"There's nothing to fix," she said harshly. "You just need to leave me alone."

I frowned. "What? Why? I don't understand."

She raised her eyebrows. "Are you kidding me? You really thought I wouldn't find out?"

"Find out what?" I asked confused.

"Are you going to keep pretending like you don't know what I'm talking about? Really?" she exclaimed.

"Roza, I really have no idea what you're talking about," I said honestly. "You have to tell me."

"Does your girlfriend know that you're also dating a student? Does she know you're cheating on her?"

"What?" This didn't make any sense. I was more confused than ever. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh come on! I'm talking about you and Ms. Hale!" she snapped.

I stared at her, bewildered. What the hell was she talking about?

When I didn't say anything, she continued, "I know you're together with her. I saw you two at the mall. When you were supposed to be at home grading papers! And that day in her classroom, when you were so surprised to see me there… I bet I was intruding on some romantic, secret date or whatever you two were doing there."

That's when I finally understood. And that's when I started laughing. I really shouldn't have, because it only made her angrier.

"Do you think this is funny?" she exclaimed. "You used me! You lied to me! I was so stupid to believe you when you said…" She groaned and suddenly turned to the door. "Never mind. I'm done talking to you."

"No, Roza! Wait!" I said.

I grabbed her arm and turned her around.

"Don't touch me!"

"Roza… Please let me explain," I said. "I'm sorry that I laughed…but this is just…" I shook my head. What was the right word? Stupid? Ridiculous? Crazy? "Please just listen to me before you go."

"Yeah right," she said, rolling her eyes. "I don't want to hear your excuses."

"Roza, please!" I said desperately. "I can explain. You have to listen to me."

"Stop calling me Roza!" she said angrily. "I don't want you to call me that."

I didn't want to admit it, but that hurt a little. She was really angry, even though she had no reason to. I really needed to explain this before I'd lose her. "Fine. Please let me explain, _Rose_."

She looked at me for a long time and finally, she sighed and gave in. "Okay. You have two minutes."

I didn't waste my two precious minutes to convince her she was wrong. "Sonya – I mean, Ms. Hale – is my sister," I explained.

Rose laughed humorlessly. "Yeah, sure. Your last name is Belikov. Her last name is Hale. Do you think I'm stupid?"

"I don't think you're stupid," I said. "Sonya is married and she uses her husband's last name. His last name is Hale. They've been married for one year and now she's pregnant with his child. That's the truth, I swear."

She stared at me, dumbfounded.

"That's why I was laughing," I continued. "I wasn't laughing at you. I was laughing because the idea of you thinking that me and Sonya…" Suppressing a shiver, I shook my head and sighed. "She is my sister. You have to believe me, Rose." She stayed quiet, probably pondering if I was telling the truth. I didn't know if she believed me, but I really hoped so because this was just ridiculous. "What did you see at the mall?"

"You were sitting next to her," she said. "And…you were talking. And your arm was around her for a moment. But that was it." She frowned. "But Mia – she was with me – she thought that you two were together and I… I don't know. I remembered that you two were in a discussion last week and you were so surprised to see me there when I came to get my book. I thought that I'd interrupted something."

"I thought you knew how I feel about you," I said softly. I would _never_ cheat on her. I needed her to know that. "You have to know that I would never do something like that to you. I would never hurt you."

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I was just so confused when I saw you there with her. I really thought something was going on, especially when Mia thought so too. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," I said.

"But why didn't you tell me just the truth?" she asked. "You said you were at home! And then I saw you at the mall… Why did you lie?"

I sighed. "I should've told you sooner, but I didn't want you to worry. I wanted to solve this first before I'd tell you."

"Tell me what?" she asked frowning.

"Sonya knows about us," I admitted.

A look of shock came across her face. "How?" she asked hesitantly.

"She looked into my phone and read a couple of texts from you. I know I should've deleted your texts right away, but I didn't really expect someone to read through my texts." Though I should have expected it from Sonya. She always wanted to meddle in someone else's life. She also needed to know everything about everyone. It was irritating. "But she won't tell anyone," I quickly added when I saw the look on Rose's face. "She was angry at first, yeah, but she won't tell on us. She wouldn't do that to me. I explained her everything and told her the truth about us…when you saw us at the mall."

It had taken me a while to convince my sister that I wasn't just fooling around with a student, but that I truly cared for Rose. When Sonya had run off when she'd found out about Rose and me, it had taken me days to get her to speak to me again. After I'd told her everything, she wasn't very happy with me, but she would never sell me out.

"Are you sure she won't tell?" Rose asked, worried.

"Yes, I'm sure," I answered. "She's my sister. She wouldn't do that to me."

"I hope so," she said sighing.

"I'm so sorry," I said. "I should have told you immediately. It's my fault that you thought-"

"No, I am sorry," she interrupted. "I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. I should have asked you what was going on. Instead, I just ignored you and refused to let you explain."

"But it's my own fault," I countered. "There wouldn't have been a misunderstanding if I'd told you, but I didn't want to worry you. And I'm sorry for lying to you about where I was. I wanted to tell you after I'd talked to Sonya and calmed her down."

"I can't believe she's your sister," Rose said, shaking her head slightly. "Why didn't you tell me sooner that she's your sister?"

"I thought I had," I said frowning, trying to recall if I'd ever told her about my sister being a teacher at this school. "I'm sorry."

She bit her lip and looked ashamed. "I'm sorry for thinking the worst of you, Dimitri."

"It's okay. I understand," I said, taking hold of her hand. "I would've probably react the same way if it had been the other way around. I just wish you would have told me sooner instead of ignoring me for a week. You had me really worried."

"I'm sorry," she repeated.

I smiled. "Stop saying that."

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"You're doing it again."

"Okay. I'll shut up."

"You don't have to shut up."

She hid her face in her hands and groaned. "I'm such an idiot!"

"You're not an idiot," I said as I pried her hands away from her face. She snorted, clearly disagreeing with me. "You're not," I insisted. She stayed quiet. "You know, I think it's sweet that you were jealous," I said teasingly. "That means you really care about me."

She glared at me, then sighed. "I don't understand you. You should be angry at me, but you just think this is funny."

"Well, it is funny. Kind of," I said. Though it hadn't been all that funny when I hadn't known what was wrong.

"I don't think it's funny," she grumbled.

I sighed. "Look, it's alright. I'm not angry with you. I _can't_ be angry with you."

"You should be."

"But I'm not. I made a mistake too, you know. I should've told you. Then this would've never happened." I sighed again when she didn't say anything else. She was looking at the ground and I put my fingers under her chin so I could look into her eyes. "And you don't have to fear that I might cheat on you. You're the only one, Rose. I swear. Please believe me when I say you're the only one in my life."

"I believe you," she said softly, "and I'm really sorry. I can't tell you enough how sorry I am."

I pulled her to me and kissed her hair. "It's okay. Don't be sorry. But next time you're angry with me, please just tell me instead of ignoring me. I can't handle that. You mean so much to me and I don't want to lose you. Please don't do that to me anymore."

"Okay. And you have to tell me next time if there's something wrong," she said. "I know you didn't want to worry me, but I'd rather know the truth."

"Okay. Next time – and I hope there won't ever be a next time, because there are already enough people who know about us – I'll tell you immediately." I brushed a strand of hair out of her face and leaned closer to her. "So...can I call you Roza again?"

She smiled. "Yes."

Grinning, I kissed her and wrapped my arms around her as she leaned her head on my chest. My arms tightened around her waist and I kissed her hair again, relieved that everything was okay again.

"So, um, what did she say? Does she hate me?" Rose asked.

"Of course she doesn't hate you. Why would you think that?"

"Because you're risking your job because of me," she said sadly.

"She doesn't like it, but she doesn't hate you, Roza," I said. "And it's my choice if I want to risk my job or not. I made my decision and I'm not backing out of it. I _want_ to be with you, Roza. I know our situation isn't ideal, but I…" I sighed. "I can't lose you. I felt awful when I told you after New Year's we couldn't be together. And this week… I couldn't stand the thought of you being angry with me. I thought it was over between us and I don't want that, Roza. I…" _Just say it. Say the words._

But I couldn't. I wanted to. I really wanted to tell her I loved her, because I did. I truly did. The only thing that kept me from saying it out loud was that I didn't know if she felt the same way about me. I knew we hadn't been together for that long, but I'd already had strong feelings for her before we'd gotten together and those feelings had only strengthened the past couple of weeks. This week I'd been so afraid of losing her and that's when I realized I loved her. I wanted to tell her, but I needed to know that she loved me too.

I sighed again and said at last, "I don't want to lose you, Roza."

"You won't lose me, comrade," she said as she kissed me softly.

I sighed in relief and pressed my lips against hers, happy that I could hold her in my arms again after missing her for a week.

**RPOV**

When I got home, my mom was waiting for me. That was weird. She wasn't home often and when she was, she was too busy with something else to spend some time with me.

"Is there something wrong?" I asked frowning when she got up from her chair.

"No, not really," she said. "Actually I think you'll be pleased with this news."

"What news?" I asked, curious.

"Jesse moved," she answered.

I stared at her, astonished. Did I hear that right? Was this a dream? "He moved? Where to?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. They left today."

_They left today…_

Relief washed over me. I knew Dimitri had scared Jesse a lot, but I hadn't thought he'd stay away forever because of that. But now he was moving. I would finally be free of him.

I wanted to call Dimitri immediately and tell him the good news, but I quickly changed my mind. I wanted to tell him in person and not over the phone. And I was pretty sure that if I called him now, I would keep apologizing for what I'd done to him this week. I'd ignored him for nothing and I'd been angry without a reason. If he'd told me the truth before I'd started overthinking things, there wouldn't have been a problem, though.

It was still hard to believe that Ms. Hale was his sister. I'd had no idea they were related and I wondered why he hadn't told me sooner. And now she knew about us, too. I didn't know how I was going to live through her classes now she knew about us. No matter what Dimitri said, she probably hated me for being with her brother. There was nothing I could do about it, though. Except, maybe, break up with him, but I couldn't do that. No, that's not right. I didn't _want_ to break up with him. He meant too much to me. No guy had ever made me feel this way, made me feel so special. No guy had ever treated me with so much respect as he did. Even when I'd accused him of cheating on me, he'd stayed calm. He hadn't even been angry with me. He was always so sweet to me, even when I was acting like a total brat. He was just…perfect and I'd almost ruined everything because I'd been too stubborn to hear him out.

Even though I'd been mad at him, I'd missed him so much this past week and I realized that I'd fallen in love with him. That's why it had hurt me so much to think that he might be with someone else. When he'd told me the truth I felt so, so relieved that I'd been wrong. This wasn't just a crush. I loved him. Maybe it was stupid of me to fall in love with my teacher, but I couldn't help it. In this short time, I'd come to love him. The question that kept spinning in my mind now was: did he love me too?

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**Yay, everything's alright again between Rose and Dimitri! And Jesse moved! Do you think he'll stay away? **

**I hope you liked the chapter. Leave me a review and tell me what you think ;)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Thank you for all the reviews! ^^**

**In some reviews there were some questions and some confusion. Since I couldn't answer those reviews I'll just say it here: **

**-Rose had told her mom a while ago that she'd broken up with Jesse, but she didn't tell her mom that Jesse threatens her and stalks her. Janine just wanted to tell Rose that Jesse was moving, because she thought Rose would be happy about it. **

**-About the texts that Sonya has read... She didn't read anything about Jesse (those messages were in the beginning of this story and everyone deletes the texts in their inbox once a while). I know I haven't disclosed other texts because I thought that would become boring after a while, but when you're in a secret relationship with someone and you don't get to see the other person a lot, you'll probably text and/or call each other much (I guess). I'm sorry if it confused you or anyone else, I didn't mean to do that.**

**Okay, sorry for the long note. Anyway, here's the next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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**CHAPTER 14**

**RPOV**

"Happy birthday!" Lissa exclaimed as she hugged me. "You'll get your present later at the party tonight!"

It was the twenty-seventh of March and I hadn't realized until this morning – when my mom had attacked me with a hug and a birthday card with some money – that it was my birthday today. I was finally eighteen.

"Party?" I said, surprised. "What party? I wasn't aware that I was throwing one."

Lissa grinned. "I am throwing a party for you, of course! But don't worry, it's for friends only."

I smiled. "So when am I supposed to come over?"

"Seven o'clock. Make sure you wear something nice."

"I will."

Since I'd turned Adrian down, we hadn't had much contact, but about a week ago she'd apologized for her behavior, saying that she'd overreacted, that she shouldn't have gotten so angry and that it was my decision if I wanted to date him or not. I was happy that everything was okay again between us. I'd missed her and I was glad to have my best friend back.

Soon the rest of my friends found me and wished me a happy birthday. I thanked them all and then went to my locker before classes would start. Lissa followed me.

"I'm so excited for tonight!" she squealed. "I hope you'll like your presents."

"Presents?" I asked, my interest piqued. "As in more than one?"

Lissa nodded and grinned again. "Of course it's more than one, silly. I can't wait to see your face when you open them." She sighed. "I wish it was already tonight. I hate waiting."

I shook my head, chuckling, and opened my locker. I gasped when I saw a black rectangular box lying on my books.

"What's wrong?" Lissa asked.

I didn't answer. I took the box out of my locker and stared at it. Lissa looked over my shoulder and squealed.

"Oh, you got a present!" she said excitedly. "Who's it from? Is there a card?"

"No," I answered after looking through my locker. "Just the box."

I wondered how someone had put this box in my locker. I was the only one who knew my code. Or so I'd thought. Apparently there was someone else who knew my code.

"Open it!" Lissa said. "I want to see what's inside."

I didn't know who had gotten me this gift, but I was really curious to see what was inside the box. But when I was about to open the box, someone snatched it from my hands. I turned around and saw Camille, accompanied by her two shadows, Abby and Natalie.

"Ooooh, someone got Hathaway a present," Camille said. "I wonder what it is."

"Give it back!" I said.

"Not before I see what's inside," she said smirking. She opened the box to reveal a silver bracelet with a heart pendant. It was beautiful.

"I think someone gave this to the wrong person," Camille said, trying to hide her astonishment. "I'm sure this wasn't meant for you. Someone must have put it in your locker by mistake. But that's okay, I'll take it," she added, shrugging.

"That's mine!" I exclaimed. "Give it back!"

Camille laughed. "Who would give _you_ a present?"

"It belongs to Rose," Lissa said calmly. "Now give it back."

"No, I think I'm going to keep it for myself," Camille said smiling.

"Damn it!" I yelled, losing my patience. "Give it back before I rip your hair out!"

By now, a lot of people had stopped to watch us. They were probably hoping for a fight. I hoped for Camille it wasn't going to lead to that, but if she didn't give my bracelet back right now, this would certainly end in a _very_ ugly fight.

"What's going on here?"

I looked up when I heard his voice and sighed in relief. Dimitri. He would be able to help me out. I started to tell him what was going on, but Camille interrupted me.

"They're trying to steal my bracelet," Camille said as she pointed at me and Lissa.

"That's not true!" I growled. "It's mine! You stole it from me."

Dimitri looked over at Camille and his eyes widened when he saw the bracelet.

"It's true, Mr. Belikov," Lissa said. "It was in Rose's locker. It's hers."

"She's lying!" she exclaimed.

"Give the bracelet back to Rose, Camille," Dimitri said.

"But it's mine," Camille protested. She batted her eyelashes at him. "You have to believe me. They're lying."

"I saw you taking it from Rose," Dimitri said as he looked at her disapprovingly. "There's no point in denying it. Give it back to Rose. _Now_."

Camille was a little bit taken aback by his tone and to be honest, so was I. Dimitri could be very intimidating when he wanted to.

"Okay. Fine," Camille said shrugging. "You can have it back. I just wanted to take a look." She handed it to me, but when I reached out to take it from her, she dropped it to the floor. "Oops. Sorry," she said, smiling sweetly. "My mistake."

"You did that on purpose!" I exclaimed. "You're lucky you didn't damage it or I would have-"

Camille would never find out what I wanted to say, because a new voice interrupted me.

"What is going on here?" Kirova demanded, her hands on her hips.

"Nothing, Ellen," Dimitri said, giving me a warning look. "Just a misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding? About what?" Kirova asked.

"It wasn't a misunderstanding!" I said. "Camille stole my bracelet! She took it from me and claimed it was hers and then she dropped it to the floor! Nobody ever believes me when I say she's a total bitch, but you can't deny it now."

"Miss Hathaway!" Kirova exclaimed. "Watch your language."

"What?" I said. I knew I should've just shut up and let Dimitri handle it, but I was mad. And when I was mad, I did stupid things. "It's the truth! That bitch took my bracelet. Dimi – Mr. Belikov saw it too!"

"I don't care what she did," Kirova said sternly, pushing up her glasses with her index finger. "You don't use words like that in this school. I think a detention is appropriate here."

"What?!" I exclaimed. "I didn't do anything wrong!"

Kirova gave me a sharp look. "You have to learn when to shut your mouth, Miss Hathaway."

"But this is insane!" I protested. "I-"

"Rose," Dimitri interrupted me, looking at me. _Don't make this worse_, he seemed to say. Turning to Kirova, he said, "Nothing really happened so I think we shouldn't give them a detention. It's a little rash, don't you think? And I'm sure they are both sorry for what they've said and done, aren't you?" he said, glancing at me again.

I knew he was trying to save my ass, so reluctantly I nodded and said, "Yes, I'm sorry I called Camille a bitch. And I'm sorry that I yelled."

Kirova narrowed her eyes and looked at me suspiciously. "Fine," she said at last. "But maybe it's better if I keep the bracelet until the end of the day so nobody will be able to fight over it again."

"That's not fair!" I protested. Lissa shot me a look. I suppressed a sigh and continued in a calm voice, "The bracelet is mine. It wouldn't be fair."

Kirova was about to say something, probably that she was going to keep it anyway, fair or not, but then Dimitri spoke up.

"I'll keep it," he offered. "She's in my last class of the day so I can give it back to her then. Otherwise she has to find you and I'm sure you got better things to do than wait around until she comes to collect her bracelet," he said smoothly.

I looked up at him and grinned. I had no idea he could be so sly, but I liked it.

"I guess that's okay," Kirova mused. "Give it to Mr. Belikov, Rosemarie. You can have it back by the end of the day."

"Fine," I said shrugging as I put the bracelet back into the box and gave it to Dimitri. I didn't mind it at all if he kept it the rest of the day.

"This was the last time, Rosemarie. Next time I see you fighting with someone, you'll be punished," Kirova warned before leaving.

"As if this isn't a punishment," I muttered under my breath.

Dimitri turned to the other students who'd stayed to watch. "The show is over. You can go back to your classrooms now." They all left, including Camille and her friends. Then he turned to me. "You should go back to your classroom, too."

I nodded and turned around to leave with Lissa to our next class.

"And Rose?"

I looked over my shoulder.

"Try to stay out of trouble," Dimitri said, a small smile on his face.

I grinned at him and when he turned away from me, I followed Lissa to class.

**DPOV**

I heard a commotion in the hallway and made my way through the students to see what was going on.

"Damn it! Give it back before I rip your hair out!"

I recognized that voice immediately. I would've recognized her voice anywhere. And of course it would be Rose who'd be in a fight, but I wondered why. I pushed my way through a group of students who were all watching how Rose and Camille were arguing.

"What's going on here?" I demanded.

Rose looked up at me and started to say something, but Camille interrupted her, "They're trying to steal my bracelet!"

She pointed to Rose and Lissa.

"That's not true!" Rose growled. "It's mine! You stole it from me."

I finally took a good look at the bracelet and my eyes widened when I recognized it as the bracelet I'd put in Rose her locker. I'd wanted to give her something for her birthday so I'd bought the bracelet a few days ago and yesterday, when she'd left for home, I'd put it in her locker to surprise her. And now Camille was holding it in her hands. It angered me, but I had to stay calm.

"It's true, Mr. Belikov," Lissa said calmly. "It was in Rose's locker. It's hers."

"She's lying!" Camille exclaimed.

"Give the bracelet back to Rose, Camille," I said sternly.

"But it's mine," Camille protested. "You have to believe me. They're lying."

"I saw you taking it from Rose," I lied. I didn't see it, but I knew for a fact that it belonged to Rose since I was the one who'd bought it for her. "There's no point in denying it. Give it back to Rose. Now."

Camille looked a little bit shocked by my tone, but I didn't care.

"Okay. Fine," she finally said, shrugging. "You can have it back. I just wanted to take a look." She handed it to Rose, but when Rose was about to take it from her, she dropped it to the floor. "Oops. Sorry," she said, smiling sweetly. "My mistake."

I clenched my jaw and resisted the urge to yell at her for not being more careful. The bracelet hadn't cost a fortune, but it wasn't cheap either.

"You did that on purpose!" Rose exclaimed. "You're lucky you didn't damage it or I would have-"

"What is going on here?"

I looked up and saw, to my dismay, Kirova marching toward us. She stopped in front of us, hands on her hips.

"Nothing, Ellen," I replied as I gave Rose a warning look to keep quiet. "Just a misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding? About what?" Kirova asked.

"It wasn't a misunderstanding!" Rose burst out. "Camille stole my bracelet! She took it from me and claimed it was hers and then she dropped it to the floor! Nobody ever believes me when I say she's a total bitch, but you can't deny it now."

I groaned inwardly. She was so going to get in trouble for this.

"Miss Hathaway!" Kirova exclaimed. "Watch your language."

"What?" she said shrugging. "It's the truth! That bitch took my bracelet. Dimi – Mr. Belikov saw it too!"

"I don't care what she did to you. You don't use words like that in this school," Kirova said. "I think a detention is appropriate here."

"What?!" she exclaimed, outraged. "I didn't do anything wrong!"

Kirova gave her a sharp look. "You have to learn when to shut your mouth, Miss Hathaway."

"But this is insane!" Rose protested. "I-"

"Rose," I interrupted her. I looked at her and sent her a silent message. _Don't make this worse than it already is._

I turned to Kirova and tried to get Rose out of trouble. Even though she shouldn't have called Camille a bitch, she didn't deserve a detention. That was a little rash. Luckily, I was able to convince Kirova to not punish Rose for this, but then she proposed to keep the bracelet until the day was over.

I didn't want that either so I quickly said, "I'll keep it. She's in my last class of the day so I can give it back to her then." Kirova didn't look convinced. "Otherwise she has to find you and I'm sure you got better things to do than waiting around until she comes to collect her bracelet."

She agreed and finally marched off. I turned around to the other students and chased them away. They left, including Camille and her friends.

"You should go back to your classroom, too," I said to Rose.

She nodded and turned around to leave with Lissa.

"And Rose?" I said.

She looked over her shoulder.

"Try to stay out of trouble," I said, giving her a small smile.

She grinned at me and then left with Lissa. I put the box in my pocket and went back to my classroom. When the last school bell rang, Rose lingered in the classroom until everyone had left.

"Hey, I have something for you," I said, giving her a small smile as I walked toward her desk. She looked up at me and I handed her the box. "Happy birthday."

Slowly, a smile crept up her face as she took it from me. "So it _is_ from you. I had a feeling, but I wasn't sure."

I sat down next to her. "Of course it's from me. You thought I wouldn't buy something for your birthday?" I said smiling. "Who did you think it was from?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I just didn't expect something to get from you because, well…we haven't been together for that long." She took the bracelet out of the box and smiled. I took it from her and clasped it around her wrist. "Thank you, Dimitri. It's beautiful."

"You really think so?" I asked, uncertain.

Still smiling, she said, "Yes." Leaning closer, she kissed my cheek. "I love it."

I took her hand in mine and laced our fingers together. "I'm glad you like it."

"So where did you get thet code to my locker?" she asked, curious.

I smiled. "That's a secret."

She rolled her eyes at me and then looked at the bracelet again.

"I hope it wasn't too expensive. I don't want you to waste your money on me," she said, biting her lip.

"I'm not wasting my money on you," I said. "It's your birthday and I just wanted to buy something nice for the woman I love."

My eyes widened when I realized what I'd said.

Rose stared at me, shocked. "The woman you _what_?"

I glanced away nervously. I hadn't wanted to tell her yet because I didn't know if she felt the same way about me. But now I'd blurted it out without realizing it and there was no point in denying it now. She'd heard me very clearly.

"Dimitri?" she said when I stayed silent.

I finally looked up at her again and took a deep breath. "I love you."

She kept staring at me and I was starting to think that she didn't feel the same way. But then, suddenly, she pulled me closer and kissed me fiercely. I responded to the kiss eagerly and wrapped my arms around her waist.

"I love you too," she breathed when she pulled away.

I blinked. "You do?"

She smiled. "Yes. I love you, Dimitri."

I sighed in relief and kissed her again. "You have no idea how happy you make me right now."

Rose grinned and pecked me on the lips.

"I'm sorry, but I can't stay," she sighed. "I have to go home and get ready. Lissa's throwing me a party."

"Sounds like fun," I said smiling.

"I hope so," she mumbled.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

She shrugged. "Nothing. I just wish…" She sighed and tried again. "I just wish I could spend it with you, you know. Or that you could come to the party too. I know that's not possible, but I wish it was."

Squeezing her hand, I said, "I know. I wish I could take you out for dinner and celebrate your birthday, but I can't. And I hate that. But I'm afraid there's nothing we can change about that."

She sighed again. "I know."

"But hey, there's always next year," I said, trying to cheer her up. "And the year after that…"

It worked; she laughed. "If you still want me then."

"Why wouldn't I want you?" I said frowning.

She grinned. "Maybe you'll get tired of me in a few months."

"I could never get tired of you," I murmured before capturing her lips with mine.

**RPOV**

Even though I hadn't really been looking forward to my birthday party, I had a great time. Lissa had decorated her living room with garlands, balloons, etc. As she had promised, only my close friends were there. Andre, Lissa's older brother, was also present to keep an eye on us while their parents were out of town for the weekend.

"Happy birthday, Rose!" he exclaimed when he entered the living room. He gave me a half hug and grinned broadly. "Finally eighteen, huh? You're an adult now."

Christian snorted and muttered, "She will never be an adult, no matter how old she is."

I shot him a glare. He just shrugged and grinned.

"Oooh, I didn't know we could hug you," Adrian said excitedly, quickly making his way over to me.

I rolled my eyes. "You already gave me a kiss on the cheek, Adrian."

He grinned. "What if I give you a hug _and_ another kiss?"

"Then I'll punch you," I said, smiling sweetly.

"I'll take what I can get!" Adrian said, opening his arms for me.

Rolling my eyes again, I started to turn away again.

"Oh, come on, Rose! Just one hug!"

"Fine."

Reluctantly, I turned to him again and gave him a hug. He wrapped his arms firmly around me and spun me around.

"Ah, Adrian! What are you doing?" I exclaimed.

"Whew, you are heavy," he puffed.

"WHAT?"

He put me down again and grinned. "Just kidding. You're a lightweight. Sort of," he added, smirking.

I glared at him. "It's my birthday. You have to be nice to me."

"Fine, fine. I'll be nice," Adrian promised.

My friends and I gathered around the coffee table and Lissa handed me the presents one by one. I got perfume, a make-up kit, shoes and a whole lot more. The best gift – besides the bracelet from Dimitri – were the two concert tickets for one of my favorite bands that I'd gotten from Lissa.

"Thanks, guys," I said grinning. The presents had really cheered me up – and of course, the presence of my friends. "You are all great. And yeah, even you, Christian," I added with a smirk.

Christian looked over at me. "Wish I could say the same about you," he sighed.

I punched his arm lightly and he grinned, "Just kidding, Rose."

After opening my presents, Andre brought in the cake. It was a chocolate one and in no time I'd stuffed three large pieces into my mouth. I felt a little sick afterwards, but it was worth it.

"Hey, you are wearing the bracelet," Lissa noted as she looked at my wrist. "Have you found out yet who put in your locker?"

I shook my head. "No, I don't have a clue."

"It's really pretty," Lissa said. "I first thought it was from Adrian, but he gave you the perfume." Suddenly, a smile spread across her face. "Maybe you have a secret admirer. It wouldn't really surprise me."

My phone started buzzing and when I saw the caller ID, I excused myself and went to the bathroom. I made sure nobody was in the hallway and then closed the door behind me.

"Hello," I said into the phone.

"Hi Roza," Dimitri responded. "How's the birthday party going?"

I smiled. "Good."

"Are you having fun?"

"Yeah. But I ate too much, I think," I said moaning.

Dimitri laughed softly. "Why am I not surprised?" It was quiet for a moment and then he cleared his throat and said, "I was thinking about earlier today…when you said you'd like to celebrate your birthday with me…" For some odd reason he sounded nervous. Clearing his throat again, he continued, "Well, I thought that maybe you could come over to my apartment tomorrow and then I'll cook for you – if you want to," he added when I remained silent. "It was just an idea. You don't have to-"

Smiling broadly, I said, "I'd love to."

"Really?" he asked, uncertain.

"Yes," I said, still smiling.

Dimitri let out a sigh of relief. "Okay. Good. I should let you go back to the party. I'll call you tomorrow again, okay?"

"Okay." I hesitated, biting my lip, and then said at last, "I love you."

I heard him smile as he said, "I love you too, Roza. I'll see you tomorrow."

He hung up and I stared at my phone for a few seconds, grinning like an idiot. It felt so good to hear him say that. Today, when he'd admitted he loved me, I could have died from happiness. I was really happy with the present he'd given me, but that he'd told me he loved me meant so much more to me. And now he wanted to cook for me tomorrow! I couldn't be more happy. This was the best birthday ever.

"Oh shit," I mumbled when I realized I'd forgotten once again to tell him that Jesse had moved. I hadn't really had a chance to talk to him in private this week and I had wanted to tell him earlier today, but then he'd given me the bracelet and it had distracted me. And now I'd forgotten it again. But I could tell him over dinner tomorrow. If I didn't forget, at least.

Sighing happily, I left the bathroom and went back downstairs.

"Ah, little girl! There you are," Adrian said, grinning broadly as I entered the living room. "Were you talking upstairs to your cradle robber?" he whispered in my ear.

I looked at him and he winked.

"No, I was in the bathroom," I lied.

"That long?" he questioned.

"I had to fix my hair," I said before joining my other friends.

Adrian followed me and luckily he didn't mention Dimitri again tonight. We played games and did karaokes for the rest of the night. Jill had to leave at midnight. Her mom didn't want her to stay up too late and didn't want Jill to stay over either. I thought her mom was a little overprotective, but I kept it to myself. Eddie left too, because he had to bring Jill home.

When it was two o'clock in the morning, the other boys decided to leave. Half an hour later I finally lay down in Lissa's large king-size bed. Lissa lay on one side of me and Mia on the other.

"Thank you for the wonderful evening," I said, stifling a yawn. "It was fun."

"You're welcome, Rose," Lissa murmured, sleepy.

"Good night, ladies," Mia said yawning.

"Night," I mumbled before closing my eyes and drifting off into a peaceful sleep.

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**Dimitri said he loved Rose! Aww! And he invited her over. Do you think it's too soon for that? ****Btw, there are _no _cameras in the school. I don't know about your schools, but there was never a camera in my school (luckily!). The thought of being filmed all the time creeps me out. **

**Let me know what you think of this chapter :)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Thank you for all your reviews, follows and favorites! Enjoy the chapter ;)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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**CHAPTER 15**

**RPOV**

"How was the party?" Mom asked when I arrived back home. "Did you have fun?"

"Yes, it was great." I put my bag with all the presents on the table. Letting out a sigh, I plumped down on a chair.

"You look tired," she noted, frowning slightly. She sat down across from me. "Did you sleep at all?"

"Yeah, a little bit. Until Mia started snoring," I grumbled. I had never thought that such a tiny girl could snore that loud. Poor Mason. If they were ever going to live together, he would have to hear her snores every night. He'd already endured it, I guess, since they spent most of the weekends together. I suddenly had a new respect for the guy. "I am never sleeping in the same room as her ever again."

She chuckled, shaking her head slightly. "Well, I'm glad you had fun."

I smiled. "Got a lot of presents too," I said, handing her the bag so she could take a look.

"These are all great gifts," she said smiling. A silence fell, but after a few minutes, she spoke again. "So, um, I need to ask you something."

"Okay…" I said hesitantly, not knowing what to expect. My mom never asked me anything.

"Some colleagues would like to go away for a couple of days during spring break," she started. "It's sort of a vacation. They invited me to come along." She gave me a hesitant look and waited for a response.

"Oh." I was relieved. I thought she would ask me about something serious, but instead she was asking permission to go on vacation. But why would she ask permission? She didn't need to. She was my mother. She could do whatever she wanted. "Oh, well, that's nice," I said, giving her a smile. "You should go with them."

"Really?" she asked me, uncertain. "I'll be gone for a couple of days. Will you be able to look after yourself during my absence?"

"Mom, I'm eighteen," I said, a little offended. "I can handle it. It's just for a few days."

"Okay, okay. I was just asking," Mom said quickly.

"So, where are you going?" I asked.

"Somewhere in France," she said shrugging. "I forgot the name. It's a small village. But are you sure you want to stay here alone?"

"Yeah, sure. No problem," I said. "If I don't feel comfortable alone here at night, I can still go to Lissa or Eddie. Or they can come here. I'm sure it'll be no problem. But don't worry, Mom, it's not the first time I've been on my own at night."

I probably wouldn't have liked to be alone at night if Jesse had still lived in the neighborhood, but now he had moved… Well, there was no problem anymore.

My mom smiled. "Okay then. But you know you can call me if something's wrong. Even when it's the middle of the night."

I smiled too. "I know." Clearing my throat, I said, "I need to ask you something, too."

She waited until I continued.

"I know I was just there, but I was wondering if I could go to Lissa again tonight?" I asked, trying to appear casual.

My mom frowned. "Why? You were there last night. And this morning," she added.

"I know, I know," I said. Damn. How was I going to do this without making her suspicious? "But I forgot my iPod at her place and I really need it. It's just for a few hours that I'm going back. I won't stay over again. I'll come home. And it's not like you'll be alone tonight because you have to go to work," I added quickly. "If I go to Lissa I won't be alone either."

"Fine," she said. "You can go to Lissa, but I want you to be back at ten, okay?"

"Okay. Thanks." Stifling a yawn, I started to get up. "I'm going to take a shower. Maybe that will wake me up."

"Do you need me to drop you off?" Mom asked. "I could bring you before I go to work."

"Um…that won't be necessary, but thanks," I said.

"But how are you going to go then? We only have one car and I'll need it."

Huh. Good question. How was I going to go to Dimitri if I didn't have a car? I couldn't walk there. It would take too much time and I certainly couldn't walk back in the dark – not that he would ever allow that.

"You know what? You can drop me off at school," I said. "It's not that far to Lissa's home from there. And then you don't have to make a detour."

"It's not a problem if I have to-"

"No, it's fine. Just drop me off at school," I interrupted. "That way I'll have a little exercise. I need it, after everything I ate yesterday."

She shrugged. "Fine. If that's what you want."

She didn't seem suspicious so I left her in the kitchen and headed to the bathroom. If she dropped me off at school, it wouldn't take so much time to walk to Dimitri's apartment. It wasn't that far from school to his place so I didn't really mind.

After taking a shower, I crawled into bed in my underwear, not even bothering to put some clothes on. I really needed to take a nap or I might fall asleep tonight when I was with Dimitri and I certainly didn't want that.

Two hours later I woke up from my nap and I decided to get dressed. After standing half an hour in front of my closet, I realized this was going to be a difficult task. I really didn't know what to wear. I'd like to call Lissa for advice, but that was not possible. She would ask questions. Questions I couldn't answer.

I finally settled for the strapless black dress that Lissa had bought me last Christmas. I put on some make-up and put my hair up in a messy bun. I hoped Dimitri would like it. After one last look into the mirror, I went back downstairs.

"Why are you all dressed up?" Mom asked when I entered the living room. "I thought you were just going to Lissa's."

"Um…" How was I going to explain this? "We, um, changed our plans. We're meeting with some other friends in town."

"And you have to be dressed like that?" she asked, arching one eyebrow.

"What's wrong with my dress?" I asked frowning.

"Nothing," she said quickly. She looked like she was going to say something else, but then she shrugged. "Well, let's go then, if you're ready."

I put on my coat and took my purse before following her outside. As we drove away, I started to get nervous. What if Dimitri didn't like the dress? What if we both didn't know what to say after a while? What if his sister showed up tonight? My eyes widened slightly as I thought about that. Oh, that would be horrible. She would probably freak out and then he might sent me away... _No, no, that's not going to happen. Take it easy. Everything will be alright. She won't show up at his apartment tonight. She's probably got better things to do._

I took a deep breath and tried to calm down my nerves. Mom dropped me off at school, reminding me again that I had to be home at ten o'clock, and from there I walked toward Dimitri's apartment. After ten minutes my feet started to hurt. I should've worn something comfortable instead of my high heels, but they were the only pair I had that matched the dress.

After another ten minutes I finally arrived at Dimitri's building. Taking a deep breath, I went inside and made my way to the elevator – to see that it didn't work. I groaned and took the stairs, my feet hurting even more.

"Damn," I muttered.

When I finally arrived on the third floor, I let out a sigh of relief. I made a mental note to wear flats next time I came over. Taking another deep breath, I knocked on the door and waited for Dimitri to open it – which didn't take long.

"Roza," he said, a smile making its way onto his face.

"Hi," I said, almost shy, as I smiled tentatively.

Taking my hand, he led me inside and took my coat from me. His eyes widened slightly when he took in my dress.

_Yes, he definitely likes the dress_, I thought, smirking to myself.

"You look beautiful," he said, his voice soft and affectionate.

My heart fluttered and I smiled. "Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself."

He was wearing dark jeans and a button-down white shirt tucked in his jeans. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and the first buttons of his shirt were open, giving a glimpse of his chest. His chocolate brown hair was loose instead of tied into a ponytail like usual. He looked sexy.

Dimitri chuckled. "Thanks, Roza."

Dinner was great. Turns out I had been worrying for nothing. There were no awkward silences and his sister, Mrs. Hale, didn't come bursting down the door to haul me away, thank God. My nerves had since long disappeared and I was totally at ease now.

The whole time, Dimitri kept looking at me with a smile on his face as we talked – well, as _I_ talked. He listened and occasionally said something sweet, which made me blush furiously. He was the only guy who could make me blush. It was frustrating.

I looked down, trying to hide my blush, and concentrated on my food. It was delicious. Dimitri had made chicken penne with roasted peppers and some kind of cheese I didn't know, but it tasted great.

Trying to distract him, I asked about it. "So what is this kind of cheese? I've never tasted it before."

"It's mascarpone," Dimitri answered. "You like it?"

"Yes, it's great," I said, chewing on a piece of chicken. "You're a great cook."

"Thanks," he said smiling.

"My mom could learn something from you."

He chuckled. "She's not that bad, is she?"

I snorted. "She lets the food burn every day."

After dinner, I offered to help him with the dishes, but he wouldn't have any of that and said he'd do it later tonight. As he cleared the table – again, I wasn't allowed to help – I looked around his apartment a little more. Everything was clean, organized, there were no clothes lying around… It didn't look like a guy was living here.

When we were kids, I'd been a lot in Eddie's room and it had always been messy, with clothes and other stuff lying on the floor and on his bed. I'd also been in Andre's room with Lissa when we'd wanted to play a game on his Playstation a few years ago. Back then, his room had been a junk pile. I didn't know how it looked now, but I figured it wouldn't be much better. Dimitri's place was the complete opposite. It looked so…neat. Even my room looked more messy and my mom always made me clean it once a week. I hadn't expected that his place would be so tidy. For a guy living alone, this was really impressive. But then again, Dimitri wasn't like most guys. And I was more than happy about that.

"You're really into western novels, huh?" I noted as I took a look at his book collection. "You like western movies, too? I bet you've seen every John Wayne movie there is."

He smiled. "Yes, I have."

"Of course you have," I muttered, turning to the book case again.

Dimitri suddenly came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me. My heart started beating faster when he kissed my neck softly. "So, are you ready for dessert?"

My breath hitched. "Dessert?" I asked, swallowing heavily. I couldn't think properly when he was standing this close to me.

I felt him smile against my skin. "Yes. If you want to, of course." He spun me around and taking my hand, he led me back to the kitchen. "I didn't really know what to make, but since you like chocolate I thought you would like this, too," he said as he opened the fridge and took two chocolate mousse containers.

My eyes widened when I saw the chocolate mousse and my mouth started watering at the sight of it.

"And by the looks of it, I was right," Dimitri said smirking when he saw my face.

I nodded wordlessly and he handed me my chocolate mousse. We settled on the couch and watched a movie as we ate our dessert. Once again, it was delicious. I wondered where Dimitri had learned to cook so well.

Dimitri put his arm around me and drew me closer. I rested my head on his shoulder and tried to focus on the movie, which was hard because all I could think about was how close I was to Dimitri right now. I could smell his aftershave and it smelled divine. Unconsciously, I snuggled closer to him and his arm around my waist tightened. His lips pressed against my hair.

I looked up at him and saw that he was already looking at me. Bending his head, he pressed his lips against mine. His free hand cupped my cheek, holding me in place, as we kissed. I completely forgot about the movie as our lips continued to move in sync.

Before I knew it, I was lying down on the couch with Dimitri hovering over me, his lips never leaving mine. My hair fell out of my bun as he raked his hand through it. His other hand moved up my leg and rested on my thigh.

"Your hair is beautiful," he murmured as he twirled a strand around his finger.

I smiled. "Really? I was thinking about cutting it."

His eyes widened as he looked at me. "No, don't cut it."

"Why not?"

"I love your long hair," he said. "It's beautiful."

His lips moved to mine again and I forgot about our conversation as he kissed me passionately. My arms snaked around his neck and I tangled my fingers in his hair.

"Don't cut it," he whispered against my lips.

"Hmm?" It was hard to concentrate on anything when Dimitri was near me, but it was even harder when he was distracting me with kisses.

"Your hair. Please don't cut it," he repeated, his teeth grazing my neck.

"I won't," I promised.

Our lips met again. Our bodies pressed together as we kept kissing and kissing – until we suddenly heard a loud bang. We both jolted up. I looked around, trying to find out where the noise had come from. Then, I heard a woman yell for a guy to 'come back immediately or else he could sleep on the couch when he returned'. There was no response, though. A door slammed shut and there was silence once again.

Dimitri muttered something in Russian – it sounded a lot like a swear word – and then he said, frowning slightly, "I'm sorry. That were my neighbors."

"Are they okay?" Stupid question since we'd heard them yelling a minute ago. "Maybe you should take a look if everything's fine."

Dimitri shrugged. "No, they'll be fine. They fight a lot, but in the end he always comes back to her."

"Oh. Okay," I said.

Dimitri noticed he was still on top of me and shifted off of me, pulling me up with him. He looked away and sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…" He didn't finish his sentence. He didn't need to; I knew what he meant. "I don't know what came over me," he said at last. "Sorry."

"Hey, it's fine," I said, giving him a small smile.

"No, it's not," he said. "I keep forgetting how young you really are. If my neighbors hadn't made so much noise I don't know if I'd stopped in time-"

"I'm eighteen, Dimitri," I interrupted. "I'm an adult now."

"Yes," he said. "But you're still in school and… I don't want to rush anything. I don't want you to have any regrets…about me."

"I won't," I said, taking his hand in mine and squeezing it softly. "I love you."

Dimitri gave me a small smile. "I love you too, Roza. I really do. But I want you to think things through before anything happens."

I was about to say something, but my phone started buzzing. I'd set up an alarm earlier in case I lost track of time. I groaned inwardly. I was eighteen and I still had curfew. Bummer.

"I have to go home," I said regrettably.

Dimitri nodded. "I'll drive you home. Will your mom be there?"

"No, she's at work," I answered.

Dimitri got up and helped me put on my coat. He took his keys before we left his apartment. His hand found mine as we went downstairs. It was dark outside now so nobody would be able to recognize us walking down the street to his car. He opened the door for me and I climbed inside. After closing the door, he walked to the other side of the car and stepped in. We drove the first few minutes in silence, but then I remembered something important. I didn't really want to mention it after such a perfect night, but I had to before I'd forget again. Besides, it wasn't bad news. It was good news.

"So… Jesse moved," I said, breaking the silence.

Dimitri looked over at me, surprised. "Really? When?"

"Last week, I think. Mom told me."

"And you're telling me _now_?" Dimitri said, sounding almost outraged. For a moment I thought he would ride off the road, but he stayed focused, despite his indignation.

"I'm sorry," I said, biting my lip. "I wanted to tell you sooner, but I forgot. Sorry."

"It's fine," he said, his voice soft again. "I'm glad he's gone."

"Me too."

He looked at me again and smiled. He reached over and took my hand in his, lacing our fingers together.

"Hey, how do you know where I live?" I asked when he pulled up at the curb. I didn't remember telling him. I actually hadn't realized we were already here. I wished the drive had taken a little longer so I could spend more time with him.

Dimitri looked slightly embarrassed. "I, um, kinda looked into your file at school," he admitted. "I was curious. Do you mind?" he asked, biting his lip.

I smiled. "No. So…what else did you read in my file?"

"That you're a troublemaker."

I grinned proudly. "That I am."

He smiled reluctantly. "Oh, Roza," he sighed, shaking his head slightly. "What am I going to do with you?"

It was a rhetorical question, but I answered anyway. "You could kiss me?" I suggested.

"I could," he said slowly. His smile grew wider and he leaned in, kissing me softly.

"Thanks for dinner, Dimitri," I said when he pulled away. "I had a lovely evening."

"You're welcome, Roza. I'm glad you liked it," he responded.

"Oh yeah," I said, remember something else. "My mom is going away for a couple of days during spring break. So…maybe we could see each other then?" I asked uncertainly. I didn't know if he'd think this was a good idea, but the least I could do was try.

"I would love that," Dimitri said softly. I sighed in relief and he chuckled. "What, you thought I was going to say no?"

I gave him an apologetic look. "Maybe. I wouldn't put it past you. I thought you would say it's not a good idea or something like that."

He leaned closer to me again and put his hand against my cheek. "I don't know if you realized it, but I love you. _Of course_ I want to spend more time with you."

Blushing, I looked down. _Ugh. Why are you so sweet?_

"Good," I said at last, smiling. I sighed and continued, "Well, I should go inside. Thanks again for tonight, Dimitri."

"Good night, Roza."

"Night, comrade," I said, kissing him swiftly on the cheek before getting out of the car.

I walked toward the front door and turned around to wave at him. He waved back and I went inside. I immediately took off my heels and let out a sigh of relief. Even though my feet hurt, I skipped toward the bathroom to brush my teeth. Before crawling into bed, I changed into my sleep shorts and a tank top. Shortly after, I fell asleep with the smile still on my face.

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**So what do you think about their dinner date? Did you like it? **

**Please leave a review on your way out ;)**


	16. Chapter 16

**Thank you for all the reviews! You are all amazing! I'd also like to apologize for taking so long to update. I'm sorry. I had a busy week. I'd wanted to update yesterday, but my internet connection didn't work properly. The page wouldn't load. My internet connection is still oh so slow, but with - much - patience I was able to post the new chapter. **

**For cathleen .belikova: I can't PM you so I'll just say it here. At first I wanted Dimitri to make a Russian dish, but then I changed my mind because it's never a good idea to make something foreign on your first date, in case your date doesn't like it (at least, this is what I've been told). And I chose France off the top of my head, actually. I know some people who go to Milan or New York for like two days, so I thought France wasn't a bad idea. And thanks for all your reviews so far! :) **

**Anyway, here's the new chapter. ^^**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy. **

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**CHAPTER 16**

**DPOV**

I'd just arrived home when there was a knock on my door. Wondering who the hell was at my door this late at night, I walked back and opened the door.

"Hey Dimitri," Ivan greeted. "I'm sorry to bother you at this hour, but…um…"

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, frustrated.

"Are you alright?" I asked, concerned.

Ivan shrugged. "Not really. I had a fight with Sarah. I was wondering if I could crash here for the night."

"Oh." Apparently a lot of people were fighting tonight. I was glad that I wasn't one of them.

"It's just for tonight," Ivan said.

"Yeah, sure. Come on in," I said.

Ivan followed me inside. "Seems like you had a busy night," he said, nodding at the glasses and plates at the sink.

"Oh, no…not really. Viktoria came over for dinner," I lied smoothly. Clearing my throat, I said, "I hope you won't mind, but you'll have to sleep on the couch."

"No problem," Ivan said. "The couch is good enough."

He slumped down on it, sighing loudly.

"So what happened?" I asked.

"We got into a fight," he said, looking up at me. "It was about something silly. It wasn't even worth it to fight over something like that, but I was tired and cranky and… I was a little rude. Things escalated and, well…here I am."

"What were you fighting over?"

"About a painting she has bought," he replied. "It's a watering can painting – an ugly watering can. She wanted to hang it in the living room and I didn't want that, because, yeah, it's ugly."

"Seriously?" I said, incredulous. "You fought over a painting?"

"I told you, I was tired," he said defensively.

I rolled my eyes. "You better make it up tomorrow, because this is just too stupid for words."

"I know," he said sighing. "If it makes her happy to have that watering can painting in the living room, I should let her hang it there." He sighed again. "I'll make it up to her tomorrow."

I walked to my bedroom to grab a pillow and a spare blanket. "Here," I said, tossing them at Ivan.

"Thanks, man," he said. "I really appreciate this."

"It's fine," I said, waving it away. "Good night."

"Yeah, good – ouch, what the hell is this? It's freaking sharp."

I looked back at him. "What?"

"_This_," he said, holding something small between his fingers. "I found it on the couch." He frowned. "Is that an earring?"

"What?"

I walked back and wanted to take the earring from him, but he dodged me. Slowly, a grin spread out on his face. "Why do you have an earring on your couch?"

"Um, that's probably Vika's earring," I said, taking it from him.

"It's Saturday night. Doesn't she have better things to do than hang out with her older brother?" Ivan joked.

"Hey, what's wrong with hanging out with me?" I said. "_You_ hang out with me."

"Yes, but not on a Saturday night," Ivan said.

I arched an eyebrow. "Really? Because it _is_ Saturday night."

Ivan rolled his eyes. "Whatever. So how are things going with you?"

"Good," I said.

"So, did you meet anyone yet?" Ivan asked.

"No," I lied.

He frowned. "Oh."

"Why are you asking?"

Ivan shrugged. "Well… You've been acting different lately. You seem happier. I thought that maybe it was because you'd met someone."

"No, I haven't," I said.

"Do you remember Julie? Sarah's friend? The one with the blonde hair?"

I nodded. "What about her?"

"Well, she's interested in you," Ivan said. "She keeps asking how you are doing and if you have a girlfriend. So maybe you could go out with her?"

I was kind of surprised to hear that Julie liked me. We barely knew each other and from what I remembered, she was noisy and loud.

"I don't think that's a good idea," I said.

"Why not? She doesn't look that bad," Ivan said grinning.

I shrugged. "I'm just not interested in her that way. Besides, I don't really know her."

"So?" Ivan said shrugging. "Just get to know her."

I shook my head and he sighed.

"Not every girl is like Tasha, you know," he said.

"I know that," I said, clenching my jaw. I didn't like where this conversation was going.

"Then why won't you give Julie a chance?" Ivan asked.

_Because I'm already in love with the most amazing woman I've ever met in my life and I'm sure she wouldn't appreciate it. _

"It's like I said, I'm not interested," I replied instead.

"Fine then," he said sighing.

"I'm going to go to bed. Good night," I said, walking away.

"Good night," Ivan mumbled. "And thanks again for letting me stay here tonight."

"No problem," I responded before entering my bedroom.

I texted Roza that she'd lost her earring and that I'd give it back to her next week. I didn't get a response and figured she was already asleep.

It didn't take long before I heard loud snores coming from my living room, which made it impossible for me to fall asleep. I tossed and turned, but after a while I gave up and thought about Roza. It helped me relax and at long last, I fell asleep.

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of yelling in the hallway. _Oh great, my neighbor is back._ I looked at my alarm clock and saw that it was just past seven. Did he come back just now or did my neighbors have another fight?

The yelling continued and with a loud sigh, I got up. When I left my bedroom, I saw that Ivan was still asleep. I wondered how he could still sleep with so much noise coming from the hallway. I wanted to go out there and tell them to take it down a notch, but I didn't want them to take their anger out on me so instead I went to the bathroom to take a shower.

Ivan was awake when I returned and it was quiet again in the hallway. Maybe they'd moved their fight somewhere else.

"Your neighbors are loud," Ivan said, frowning slightly.

"I know," I said apologetically. "Did they wake you?"

"Yeah, but it's okay, I need to go back to Sarah anyway," he said. "Wish me luck."

"Good luck," I said.

He smiled and made his way toward the door.

"And hey, if you change your mind about Julie…" he said, turning to me again.

"I won't change my mind about her," I said before he could continue.

He shook his head and muttered, "Sometimes I don't understand you."

Then he shrugged and left.

Sighing, I went to the kitchen to do last night's dishes, all the while thinking about Rose. My thoughts were interrupted when I heard new screams coming from my neighbors. Great. They'd gotten into another fight – or maybe they were still fighting about the same thing. I decided to go for a run. Hopefully my neighbors worked things out before I got back, because this was starting to annoy me.

As I made my way downstairs and left the building, I thought back to the time I'd run into Rose in the park. Just like me, she'd been running there. I wanted to text her and ask if she could come to the park so we could run together. It was probably not a good idea, in case someone saw us together, but I was so tired of hiding my feelings for Rose.

Unfortunately, I didn't have a choice. Until her graduation, we couldn't be seen together in public. It was still a couple of months until then, but I couldn't wait for it to happen. I couldn't wait to take her out on a real date, to go wherever we wanted without worrying if someone saw us. I realized we would be frowned upon by a lot of people – like my colleagues – but nobody would be able to stop us from being together. She was eighteen now and after her graduation, we could legally be together. It wouldn't matter anymore what other people thought. But until that day we couldn't see each other in public. So instead of giving in to the urge to call Roza and meet up with her in the park, I ran around town all by myself and prayed that these last couple of months would fly by so I could finally, _really_, be with Roza.

**RPOV**

"You go ahead, Eddie," I said, waving him away. "I just need to ask Mr. Belikov a few questions about our homework."

Adrian snorted and muttered something as he walked by us, but luckily Eddie didn't pay attention to him.

"Okay," he said, frowning slightly. "I'm going to look for Jill then. I'll meet up with you in ten minutes at the gate, okay?"

"Okay," I said smiling.

He left and I turned to Dimitri, who was pretending to arrange his stack of papers. As soon as everyone had left the classroom, he dropped the stack on his desk and looked at me.

Smiling, he retrieved something from his pocket, "I believe this is yours."

"Thanks," I said as I took my earring from him. "I hadn't even noticed that I'd lost it until I saw your text. Good thing you found it."

"Well, I wasn't the one who found it," Dimitri said. "Ivan did."

"Ivan?" I said frowning.

"Yeah, he came over after I'd brought you home," he said.

"Oh, wow. Then we were lucky, I guess. If I'd still been there…"

Dimitri nodded.

"So…what did he say when he found the earring?" I asked. "He must've thought it was weird…"

"I told him it was Viktoria's earring," Dimitri said shrugging.

"Oh. Good." I gave him a small smile. "What was he doing at your place that late at night?" I asked, curious.

"He had a fight with his girlfriend and needed a place to crash," he answered.

I frowned. "Oh. Is everything alright now?"

He smiled. "Yes, everything's fine now."

After that we talked a little about our dinner date last Saturday and about when we could see each other during spring break. I didn't want to make Eddie wait too long so after a couple of minutes I left and went to the gate where Eddie was waiting for me.

We walked home, all the while talking about our plans for spring break (of course, I didn't tell him about my plans with Dimitri). When we arrived at my home, Eddie gave me a half hug and left.

"I'm home," I called as I entered the living room.

"Good," my mom said, rising from the couch. "Then we can go to the supermarket now."

"What?" I said. "Why do I have to go with you?"

"Because I don't know what to cook anymore so I need you to help me out," she said, taking the car keys. "Let's go."

I sighed loudly and followed her outside to the car. The drive to the supermarket took less than ten minutes. I took a shopping cart and followed mom around in the supermarket while she put everything we needed in the cart. Half an hour later we had everything and were on our way to the checkout counter.

"Oh, wait, I forgot the shampoo," Mom suddenly said. "Wait here. I'll be right back."

I sighed and waited for her to come back. When she wasn't back after two minutes, I decided to go take a look. I rounded the corner of the aisle and collided with-

"Dimitri?" I said, astonished. "What are you doing here?"

He arched an eyebrow as he steadied me. "What do you think?"

He didn't sound surprised to see me here, but by the look on his face I could see he was just as surprised as me. It was a pleasant surprise, though.

"Wow, this is unexpected," I said.

Now that I was steady on my feet again, he let me go. "You should really watch where you're going, Roza," he said smirking. "How many times have you bumped into me like this? I'm starting to think that you're doing it on purpose."

I knew he was just teasing me, but I blushed anyway. I cleared my throat and crossed my arms defiantly. "Well, I'm starting to think that you're-"

"Rose? Ah, there you are!"

I turned around to see my mom behind me. Before I could say something, she continued, "Why did you leave – and without the cart! I thought I'd said that-" She stopped when she noticed Dimitri. She looked at me and then at Dimitri again.

I groaned inwardly. Of all people we'd run into at the supermarket, it had to be Dimitri. Trust me, I was happy to see him. But not with my mom next to me. She was already looking at me expectantly, waiting for me to introduce her to Dimitri.

I sighed and said reluctantly, "Mom, this is my teacher, Dimitri Belikov. Mr. Belikov, this is my mom, Janine Hathaway."

"Nice to meet you," Dimitri said, extending his hand to her.

"You too," my mom said, shaking his hand. "So you're her teacher?"

He nodded.

"What do you teach?" Mom asked.

"History," Dimitri replied.

And just like that, they rolled into a conversation about history, school and…me. I just stood there, waiting until they'd finish. Wonderful.

"Does Rose behave herself in class?"

Now I felt obliged to intervene. "Hey!"

"What?" Mom said.

"I don't like that you're asking questions about how I behave in school. This is not a parents' evening."

Dimitri shot me a glance and then said, "Rose is a very good student. I don't have any complaints about her."

I smirked. "See, Mom. Even my teachers think I'm awesome. Can you stop talking about me now like I'm not here?"

"Rose!" she scolded.

Dimitri tried to keep a straight face, but he couldn't help but smile. He cleared his throat and said, "Well, I should go. It was nice seeing you again, Rose." He gave my mom a nod. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Hathaway."

"It's actually _Ms._ Hathaway," Mom said, "but you can just call me Janine."

I raised my eyebrows and glanced at Dimitri.

"Okay…Janine," he said, rather hesitant.

He glanced at me again and smiled before walking away. When he was gone, I turned to my mom.

"What was that supposed to mean?" I said, hands on my hips.

"What do you mean?" she asked frowning.

"It's actually Ms. Hathaway, you can just call me Janine? Seriously?" I exclaimed.

She shrugged. "I was just being polite."

I snorted. "Yeah right."

"Let's go," Mom said.

We finally went to the checkout counter. As we walked back to the car and loaded the bags into the trunk, she started talking about Dimitri again.

"He's very tall," she noted.

"Hmm-mm," I said, opening the door and getting inside. I didn't really feel like talking about Dimitri with my mom.

"And attractive," she continued as she crawled behind the wheel. "Is he single?"

My eyes almost bugged out of my head. "Mom! That's my teacher you're talking about." _And my boyfriend._

"So?" she said shrugging as she started the car and drove away.

I looked at her, incredulous. "He's too young for you."

"Maybe, but there are men who like older women-"

"Mom!" I said warningly.

"I'm joking, Rose," she said laughing. "But it doesn't hurt to look."

"Can we just drop it?" I asked, irritated. "He's my teacher. He's off limits."

"Fine," she said, sensing that I wasn't in the mood to talk about Dimitri being a piece of eye candy. "Seriously, Rose, it was just a joke."

A joke or not, I didn't appreciate it that my mother was eyeing Dimitri. Just the thought of her _liking_ him, made me feel sick. But I saw by the look on her face that she was indeed joking and just teasing me. Looking out of the window as we went home, I wondered if my mom would still like him if she found out he was my boyfriend.

* * *

**Janine met the boyfriend and likes him! She just doesn't know Dimitri's the boyfriend ;p**

**Again, I'm sorry for taking so long to update. I hope you can all forgive me :) **


	17. Chapter 17

**First, I'd like to thank you all for the reviews! Second, I'd like to apologize _again_ for taking so long to update! My internet connection still kinda sucks, but that wasn't the only problem. I had a horrible week, but I won't bore you with the details :p **

**Anyway, here's the new chapter and I hope this will make it up to you for the long wait ;)**

**P.S. Dimitri lives in a good neighborhood, it's just his neighbors who are a little bit of trouble. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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**CHAPTER 17**

**RPOV**

I lay on one of the garden chairs in my backyard near the pool, with a couple of magazines next to me, enjoying the sun. The weather was very nice this time a year and since it was spring break, I thought it was allowed to be lazy for one day – or maybe two. Yesterday, I'd been lying on the same chair all day, just like today.

My phone started ringing and I quickly answered it, knowing it would be my mom checking up on me. She wasn't even gone for a day and she'd called me twice already.

"Yes," I said through the phone. "I'm perfectly fine, Mom."

"You know you can go to Lissa if you're afraid to be alone at night," she said.

"That's not necessary," I said. We'd talked about this about ten times and still she would bring this up. Yeah, she was my mother and she was concerned about me, but how often did she leave me here alone at night when she had to go to work? Okay, now it were four nights in a row instead of one, but still… I was eighteen and I could take care of myself. Sort of. "I'll be fine on my own."

"Okay then," she said sighing. "But call me immediately if there's something wrong."

"I will," I said. "Love you, Mom."

"Love you too, honey."

I disconnected and got up, stretching my legs as I walked around the pool. After a while I sat down at the edge and let my legs dangle in the water. Suddenly, I heard a rustle.

Slowly, I got up and turned around. I shrieked and stumbled. He looked at me, eyes widening, and reached for my arm when I lost my balance and fell backwards. I grasped for his arm in a feeble attempt to stay on my feet, but it was too late and I fell into the water, pulling him with me. Gasping, I surfaced and looked over at Dimitri.

"I'm so sorry!" I said, embarrassed and horrified at what I'd done.

"You could've told me to bring some swimming trunks," Dimitri said. There was a smile on his face so I guess he wasn't mad at me for ruining his clothes.

I was still too shocked to laugh, though. "I didn't know you were here! Why didn't you say anything? You scared the hell out of me."

"You told me to come through the back gate because you wouldn't hear the doorbell," he said as he got out of the pool. "And I wanted to say something, but then you turned around and suddenly started screaming. You nearly gave me a heart attack." He laughed when he saw the look on my face. "You told me to come over at three o'clock, right? Well, it's three o'clock."

"Is it already three o'clock?" I asked, surprised, as I crawled out of the pool, with Dimitri's help.

Wow. I'd been outside for almost four hours. How had I not noticed what time it was? I should've checked once in a while. Then this wouldn't have happened and then I would've had time to get dressed, because I suddenly realized that I was only wearing my bikini. I was glad, though, that I hadn't fallen into the water with my clothes on, like Dimitri. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed him looking at me. Blushing, I averted my eyes to the ground.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry," I said when I finally dared a peek at him. "I didn't mean to-"

"Don't worry about it, Roza," Dimitri said. "I've got some spare clothes in my car."

I looked at him in astonishment. Who had spare clothes in his car?

"I helped painting the nursery at Sonya's place this morning," he explained when he saw the look of confusion on my face. "I thought that I might get paint on my clothes so I brought extra clothes with me, but I didn't need them." He smirked. "Until now."

I looked away. This was all my fault. I couldn't help but feel embarrassed.

"Do you want me to get your clothes?" I asked, getting up. "You can't go out like this."

"And you can?" he asked, raising one of his eyebrows.

I shrugged. "I'll get dressed and then I'll go get your clothes. I'll be quick."

Before he could say something, I went inside and almost ran to my room to put my favorite summer dress on. As I went back downstairs, I grabbed a towel from the bathroom.

"Where did you park your car?" I asked when I was back outside and handed him the towel.

"Two blocks away," he said. We'd agreed that it was better if he didn't park his car in front of my house. I didn't want to raise any alarms. Even if my mom wasn't at home for the next few days, I still had neighbors who'd might notice the car. "Are you sure you don't want me to go?"

"No, I'll go," I said. "Besides, it's my fault your clothes are ruined. I'm sorry, by the way."

"It wasn't the welcome I'd expected," Dimitri teased, "but it's okay, Roza. Don't worry about it."

He handed me his car keys and I left to fetch his clothes. I recognized his silver Honda immediately. Looking through the window, I saw his clothes lying on the backseat. I quickly took them and jogged back to my backyard before someone would see me. I closed the fence behind me and locked it so nobody could come in uninvited.

"Here are your…"

My voice faded as I stared at Dimitri with my mouth wide open. He'd taken off his shirt and put it on the ground so it could dry. He hadn't noticed I was back and took his wallet out of his back pocket and put it on the table. I kept staring at him, at his muscular arms and back, unable to make a sound. I wondered what I'd see when he turned around. Probably just more muscle.

Suddenly, he looked up and turned around, as if he'd sensed I was back. "You found them," he said smiling.

_Oh God._ His front looked even better than his back. With great reluctance, I tore my eyes off his amazing body and cleared my throat. "Um, yeah."

I gave him directions to the bathroom and turned around to leave and give him some privacy, but he grabbed my wrist and drew me closer.

"I missed you," he murmured, kissing me softly.

I felt myself blush. "I missed you too."

It had been a while since I'd last seen him. We'd called every day, but that was not the same as seeing him in person. I was glad he was here now. I pecked him on the lips again and left so he could get dressed.

I waited outside for him. I stayed away from the pool this time. Dimitri was back in less than five minutes – and fully clothed. Thinking of it now, I should've left the shirt in his car. Then I could've stared some more at his perfect abs. Good thing my backyard was enclosed by trees. Otherwise my neighbors would've been able to enjoy the nice view. Shaking my head, I pushed the thought aside and smiled up at Dimitri as I took a step toward him.

"Wait," Dimitri said, taking a step back.

"What?" I asked frowning.

"You're not going to drag me into the water again, right?" he said, a grin spreading across his face. "Because I don't have any more extra clothes with me."

"Ha ha. Very funny," I said, rolling my eyes. "If you don't scare me anymore, I won't drag you into the water again."

"Hey, I said I would call you when I'd be here, but you said it was fine if I just came through the back gate," he said.

"I know," I grumbled. "Fine. Next time just call me when you arrive."

He smiled and took my hand, pulling me closer. Bending his head, he kissed me. One of his hands rested on my hip and his other hand tangled in my hair. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back eagerly. Slowly, his hand slid down my back and his arms wrapped firmly around my waist. We were both breathing heavily when he pulled away. His arms stayed around my waist and I melted into his embrace.

He kissed the top of my head and I sighed in contentment. I was so happy he was here and that we finally could spend some time together without looking over our shoulder every minute we were together.

But then my phone started ringing again and it ruined the moment. Figuring it was my mom _again_, I reluctantly pulled away from Dimitri. But no, it was Lissa. I mumbled an apology to Dimitri before picking up the phone.

"Hi, Liss," I said.

"Hi, Rose," she sang. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. You?" I wanted to keep this phone call brief so I could return to Dimitri.

"Me too," she said. "Christian's with me." I frowned. Then why was she calling me? "But I didn't call you to talk about him," she continued. "I'm calling to ask if you're okay there on your own. You know you can come over if you don't want to be alone tonight. Christian will be here, though, but he won't bother you."

"Ugh, no. I'd rather stay home if Christian's with you. You guys can't keep your hands off each other. Even when there are people in the same room."

Dimitri raised his eyebrow at me and I shrugged. Shaking his head slightly, he sat down on the chair.

"Hey, we don't do that!" Lissa exclaimed. "And if you don't like him being with us, then he'll just go home."

"Hey!" I recognized Christian's voice in the background. He clearly didn't like being sent home.

I chuckled. "You don't have to send him home, Liss. I'm fine. And don't worry, I'm not scared to be alone at night. It's not the first time I've been on my own."

It was like talking to my mother. Why was nobody convinced I could take care of myself?

"I know, but you've never been alone for five days," Lissa countered.

I sighed. "I'll be fine, Liss. Don't you worry. I can handle being alone."

"Are you sure?"

Dimitri pulled me onto his lap and wrapped his arms around me. He pushed my hair away and kissed my shoulder. It was distracting.

"Yeah, you know me. I'll be-"

I forgot what I was saying when Dimitri pressed a soft kiss behind my ear. I turned my head and managed to look at him. He grinned and kissed my cheek.

"Rose? Are you still there?"

I blinked. "Wh-what?"

"Are you sure you're okay, Rose?" Lissa asked concerned.

"Yes, I'm fine," I replied.

"Then why didn't you answer me?"

"There was a bug distracting me," I said, giving Dimitri a pointed look. He raised an eyebrow, but fortunately didn't say anything. "Really, Liss. Don't worry. Have fun with Christian." I glanced over at Dimitri again and said, "I've got to go now," I said.

"Are you going somewhere?" Lissa questioned.

"No, but I'm kind of busy right now," I said, biting my lip. "But I'll call you back tomorrow, okay?"

"Oh…okay." Suddenly she exclaimed, "Is there someone with you? Is there a boy with you?" She squealed. "Did you give Adrian a chance? Is that it?"

She was talking hard enough now so Dimitri could hear. His look darkened when Lissa mentioned Adrian.

"No, no," I said quickly. "I told you, I don't like Adrian that way."

"But you've been so mysterious lately! I thought that-"

"I'm not interested in anyone right now, Liss. If I was I would tell you, you know that." I hated to lie to her, but I had no other choice. I honestly wanted to tell her about Dimitri, but that was probably not a good idea. I trusted her with my life, but I thought it was better to keep this a secret. At least, for now. "But I really have to go now, Liss. Bye."

Before she could say something else, I disconnected.

"I'm a bug?" Dimitri asked.

I turned around to him and shrugged. "What else was I going to say? And you _were_ distracting me."

"I'm sorry,' he said grinning, "but you're too hard to resist, Roza." Noticing the magazines, he took the one I'd been reading before he'd arrived. "So that's what you do when I'm not here," he said. He raised his eyebrows and looked from the page with the top ten hottest actors of the year to me.

Flustered, I took the magazine from him and closed it. "That's…nothing."

"So, where does that leave me? Am I number eleven?" he said teasingly.

I snorted. "You're way hotter than they are. If I compare them with you, then they are kind of ugly."

A look of surprise crossed his face, but then he smirked. "You think I'm hot?"

I blushed again when I realized what I'd said. "Well…yeah!" I said at last. "And even if they were hotter – which they are not – you would still be my number one." I tried to act casual, but I was still blushing furiously.

Pushing a strand of hair behind my ear, Dimitri said smiling, "You're cute when you blush. You should do it more often."

"I'd rather not," I mumbled. I hated it when I blushed. I especially hated it when Dimitri made me blush.

His smile grew wider. "Well, I'm glad I'm your number one," he said. "Want to know a secret?" Without waiting for a response, he leaned closer and whispered in my ear, "You're also my number one."

I blushed again. God, what was up with me?

"So beautiful," Dimitri murmured as he gently traced the line of my jaw with his finger. Smiling, he cupped my face and kissed me.

That's how we spent the rest of the afternoon. Kissing. Talking. And again, kissing. When it was early evening, we went inside. As I made lasagna for dinner, Dimitri stood behind me, resting his hands on my hips. I liked it to have him so close to me.

After dinner we moved to the living room and watched a movie. I didn't know what the title was, but it was a romantic one with a little bit of action. I snuggled closer to Dimitri as we watched the movie. He kissed the top of my head and stroked my hair absentmindedly. It felt so nice and comfortable to be here with him. I wished he wasn't my teacher, that we were allowed to see each other whenever we wanted, that he was younger or that I was older. Then we wouldn't have to keep this a secret. Then we could do things like this more often.

I started to doze off, but then Dimitri kissed my forehead and I opened my eyes and saw that the movie had ended.

Clearing his throat, Dimitri said, "I probably should go home. It's getting late."

He moved away from me, but I grabbed his hand and pulled him back next to me. "No. You don't have to go," I said, almost desperate.

He gave me a questioning look, but didn't try to get up again.

"I don't want you to go," I whispered.

Dimitri looked at me, torn with indecision. "I don't want to leave, but…"

"Then don't," I said. "Stay."

He opened his mouth to say something, but I didn't let him speak. I reached up and kissed him, wounding my arms around his neck and pulling him closer. His lips moved against mine and I lay back against the couch, pulling him with me. His body pressed against mine as we continued to kiss. It reminded me a lot of that night at Dimitri's apartment, when we had dinner there and watched a movie together. I moaned softly as his hands started to roam my body. His lips moved to my jaw, down my neck and to my collarbone. Slowly, my hands went to his shirt and I fidgeted with the buttons.

"Roza…" he whispered and he pulled away slightly. "What are you doing?"

I raised my eyebrows. "What do you think?"

"We don't have to…"

"But I want this," I said. "I love you, Dimitri. I _want_ to be with you."

He looked doubtful. "Are you sure, Roza? I don't want to push you into anything you're not ready for."

"I'm sure," I said. I was glad that my voice wasn't wavering.

Even though I wanted this, I was still a little bit nervous. Dimitri still looked uncertain, but when I pulled him closer and kissed him, he kissed me back, at first hesitant, but then eager and passionate.

Somehow, in between all the kisses, we ended up in my room. As I lay on my bed, Dimitri hovered over me and kept kissing me as if his life depended on it. My hands moved to his shirt again and this time Dimitri let me unbutton it. He stopped the kissing for a moment to shrug off his shirt and he tossed it aside. Smiling, he hovered over me again, his lips molding against mine.

Our breathing became heavier as our lips continued to move in sync. A soft moan escaped Dimitri's lips as my hands slid over his bare chest. Slowly, Dimitri ran his hand over my thigh and pushed my dress up. In a matter of seconds he'd tossed the dress on the floor, next to his shirt. I pulled him closer again and captured his lips with mine. Suddenly, he stopped and pulled back.

"What's wrong?" I asked frowning.

Dimitri ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. "I don't have any condoms with me."

I smiled. "Don't worry, comrade. I'm on the pill."

Mom had taken me to the doctor when I'd started dating Jesse. I'd told her it wasn't necessary, but now I was kind of glad that she'd made me take the pill.

"Oh. Okay." He sounded relieved.

He leaned in and kissed me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back passionately. _Oh my. This is it. I'm finally going to have sex for the first time._ Thinking about it, I was starting to get nervous again.

Dimitri noticed and he pulled away again. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked, brushing a strand of hair out of my face. "We can still stop if you want to."

"N-no, I don't want to stop," I said, my voice trembling slightly.

"Are you sure?" he repeated.

"Yes." I was glad that my voice was steady again. "I want to be with you."

I pulled him to me and kissed him with all the passion I had for him. I hoped this would prove how much I wanted to be with him. It worked. He responded to my kiss and pressed himself closer to me. My hands traveled down his back.

His lips moved to my ear and he whispered, "I love you, Roza."

I looked into his eyes. "I love you too, Dimitri."

He pressed his lips against mine again and soon the rest of our clothes came off. I felt my cheeks burn as Dimitri gazed at me.

"You are so beautiful," he murmured. "So beautiful, it hurts me."

That made me blush even more. Pressing his body closer against mine, he put his arms on either side of my upper body for support.

Dimitri looked up into my eyes and said softly, "I'll be gentle."

He gave me a tender kiss and just like that, all the nerves disappeared. True to his word, he was gentle and loving as we became one for the first time. I'd never imagined my first time to be this romantic, this perfect, but it was. It was perfect and it was all because of Dimitri.

When it was over, Dimitri wrapped his arms around me and pulled me against his chest. He kissed the top of my head. I let out a content sigh and closed my eyes, drifting off to sleep in the arms of the love of my life.

* * *

**I hope you liked the chapter and I hope it made up for making you wait so long :) **

**If there are any mistakes, I'm sorry. I didn't have enough time to re-read it. **

**Have a nice day/evening ;)**


	18. Chapter 18

**Thank you for all the reviews! :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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**CHAPTER 18**

**DPOV**

I woke up to the sound of a phone ringing. I tried to ignore it and snuggled closer to Roza, inhaling the glorious scent of her hair. The phone rang again and she started to move away from me. I tightened my arms around her waist, but she managed to wriggle out of my hold and answered the phone.

"Morning, Mom," I heard her murmur. "Yeah, I'm fine… No, no problems…I was still sleeping…what, it's only – oh…sorry, I didn't know it was this late…"

I finally opened my eyes and looked over at Roza, who was still talking to her mom. After another minute, she disconnected and turned to me.

I smiled and pulled her against my chest. "Good morning, Roza," I murmured.

"Good morning," she said softly, looking up at me.

My smile grew wider as I remembered last night. It had been so amazing. No, more than amazing. It had been perfect.

"I'm sorry if the phone woke you up," she said, snapping me from my reverie, "but it was my mom. She'd already called me four times. I couldn't ignore it this time."

"That's fine," I said. "I love waking up next to you." She blushed and averted her eyes. I put my fingers under her chin, lifted her face up so I could look her in the eyes and asked softly, "Are you okay? Did I hurt you?"

"I'm fine," she answered, giving me a smile.

"I love you," I whispered as I caressed her cheek with my fingers.

"I love you too," Rose whispered back.

I leaned in and kissed her softly. I pulled her closer to me and her arms wrapped around my neck.

"Do you know what time it is?" I asked after a few moments of silence.

"Hmm-mm," she said, nuzzling my neck. "It's a little past eleven."

My eyes widened. "What? It's already past eleven?"

She looked up at me, frowning. "Yeah, why? Is there something wrong?"

"I had to be at Sonya's place at eleven," I said sighing. "Could you please hand me my cell phone?"

She nodded and took my phone from her nightstand. She gave it to me and I saw that I had five missed calls. They were all from Sonya.

"Shit," I muttered. I looked up at Rose and said, "I'm sorry, but I have to call her."

"No problem. Do you want me to go-"

"No, no, don't leave," I said, tightening my arm around her waist. I wasn't ready to let her leave yet – as if I would ever be ready for that.

"Okay." Smiling, she wrapped her arms around me.

I was tempted to put my phone away and forget about Sonya, but I knew she was probably freaking out at this very moment because I hadn't showed up and hadn't answered her calls. So, sighing, I dialed her number and waited for her to pick up the phone.

"Dimka! Finally!" Sonya exclaimed through the phone. "Where the hell are you? You were supposed to be here at eleven. Why didn't you call me back?"

"I overslept," I said.

"Overslept? It's almost midday!"

"I'm sorry," I said, "but-"

"Yeah, yeah. You're sorry. Save it," she interrupted. "Just get up and come over! I have an appointment with the doctor in two hours and I can't do this alone!"

"What? You still want me to come?" I asked. "Can't you-"

"You promised you would help, Dimka."

"Yeah, I know, but…" I glanced at Roza, who was looking at me with worry. "I can't come over right now. I'm kind of…busy."

"But you just said you overslept! How can you be busy if you overslept?" Sonya questioned.

"I…" I bit my lip and looked at Rose again.

"Just go," Rose whispered.

Oh, great. She'd heard everything. Why did Sonya have to be so loud?

I shook my head at her. I didn't want to leave her.

Rose nodded. "Yes. Go."

"But-"

"No, you can go. Don't worry about me," Rose said smiling.

I sighed.

"Who are you talking to?" Sonya suddenly asked. I'd forgotten I was still on the phone with her.

"No one," I lied. Sighing again, I said, "Fine. I'll come over. I'll be there in thirty minutes." I hung up and turned to Rose. "I'm so sorry, Roza. I wish I didn't have to leave right now, but…"

"It's fine, comrade," Rose said, waving my apologies away. "I understand."

I got up and hurriedly put my clothes on. Leaning down, I kissed Rose on her forehead. "I really am sorry. I'll make it up to you, okay?"

"You better," she said grinning.

I groaned inwardly. I hated to leave her when she was looking all sexy and-

_Focus, Dimitri. You have to leave._

I kissed her again. "I'll be back as soon as I can. I love you."

"Love you too."

With great reluctance, I walked away from her. Half an hour later I arrived at Sonya's place. She opened the door before I'd even rung the bell.

"Finally," she muttered.

"Hello to you too," I said.

"Where were you?" Sonya asked as she let me inside.

"I was at home," I lied. "I thought I'd told you that already."

"That's a lie, Dimitri," Sonya said, narrowing her eyes. "First you said you overslept and then suddenly you said you were busy. You lied to me."

"What does it matter where I was? I'm here now, aren't I? Isn't that what matters?" I said, irritated.

"It matters to me," Sonya said. "Were you with _her_?"

I immediately knew who Sonya was referring to and I was not going to admit that I'd been with Rose. Sonya would freak out.

Sighing, I said, "I'm not in a patient mood today, Sonya, so please stop. Besides, it's none of your business where I was."

I went upstairs and to the nursery to continue to paint the rest of the room. Sonya followed me and leaned against the doorframe. I was afraid she was going to ask me again if I'd been with Rose, but luckily she kept quiet. After a while she left.

An hour or so later, Ethan arrived. And he'd brought company. I heard him yell 'Uncle Dimka' and then he came running toward me. With a big smile on his face, he hugged me.

"Hi Paul," I said smiling, "how are you?"

"Great! Mama bought me hot wheels!"

"Did she? You have a great mother, you know that?"

Paul nodded and his smile grew wider.

"Well, I'm glad you all think I'm great."

I looked up to Karolina and smiled. "Hey, didn't know you were coming."

She grinned. "Didn't know you would be here either." She walked into the room and looked around. "You did a nice job here. So…how are you holding up?" she asked, looking at me. "I figure it's not easy to be around Sonya lately."

"Tell me about it," I said sighing. "She's so…frustrating and so unbelievably bossy! You weren't that bad when you were pregnant."

"Aww, thank you," Karolina said grinning.

"It's true," I said. "I hope Ethan thinks twice before he agrees on having a second child with Sonya. I don't understand how he can stay so calm when she's complaining about _everything_."

"Hormones," Karoline said shrugging. "And hey, I'd like to see what you would do when your wife is pregnant."

"Well, I don't have a wife," I replied.

"Not yet," she said grinning, "but when you do and she's pregnant… I think you'd do everything she wants you to do."

I suddenly pictured Roza as my wife and pregnant with my child. I knew I'd do anything to make her feel more comfortable and help her out with anything I could. I would even let her yell at me if that made her feel better. Wait – what was I thinking? We hadn't even been together for that long and I was already picturing her as my wife. She was just seventeen. She would freak out if she knew I was thinking about this kind of stuff. _Okay, stop. Think about something else._

"Well, I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon, huh?" Sonya had returned. "He doesn't even have a girlfriend. Or is there something we should know about?"

I glared at her. I knew what she was trying to do, but I was not falling for it. It was already bad enough that Sonya knew I was seeing a student. It was better that Karolina – and the rest of my family – didn't know about Rose. So instead of responding, I just stayed quiet.

"Leave him alone, Sonya," Karolina said. "Let's go back downstairs. Come on, Paul. Leave your uncle alone so he can continue to work."

Paul pouted, but didn't argue and left with his mother and aunt. I returned to painting the wall. Ten minutes later Ethan joined me.

"Hey, man," Ethan said. "I'm sorry if Sonya is being cranky again. It's the hormones."

"It's fine," I said, waving it away. "I should feel sorry for you. You have to handle her mood swings every day."

"I got used to it," he said shrugging.

I chuckled and went back to work. All the while, I thought about Roza and what had happened last night. If Sonya hadn't been so persistent on coming here today I would still be with Rose. Then I could still enjoy her closeness…

"What's up with you?" Ethan asked.

I blinked. "What?"

Ethan grinned. "You're grinning like an idiot."

I looked away. "No, I'm not," I mumbled.

He laughed. "Yeah, you are."

He wanted to say something else, but someone interrupted him.

"Ethan, could you go downstairs for a sec?" Sonya asked. "I need to talk to Dimitri."

Ethan glanced over at me, but then shrugged and said, "Sure."

Sonya stayed quiet, even after Ethan had left, and just studied me. I turned away from her and started painting again, trying to ignore her.

"You were with her this morning, weren't you?" she said at last.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said quietly.

She snorted. "Sure."

I sighed and turned to face her. "What do you want, Sonya?"

"I want to know the truth," she responded calmly. "You lied this morning on the phone. Why?"

I stayed quiet.

"You were talking to someone when we were on the phone this morning. It was her, huh?" she said, clenching her jaw. "You were with her."

Losing my patience, I threw the brush on the floor and crossed my arms. "Fine. You're right," I admitted. "I was with Rose. Happy now?"

"I knew it! God, Dimitri! Why would you do such a stupid thing?" Sonya exclaimed. "Do you want to lose your job that badly?"

"Hey, what's going on in here?" Ethan had come back, probably because he'd heard Sonya yelling. He put his arm around her. "Are you okay, honey?"

"No, I'm not!" she snapped as she pushed him away. She turned to me again, pointing an accusing finger at me. "You're an idiot if you think you can keep this a secret!"

"Sonya, sweetie, calm down," Ethan said soothingly. "What's going on?"

She ignored him and kept yelling at me. "What were you doing there so early in the morning? What were you-" Suddenly she gasped and put her hand over her mouth as realization dawned on her. "Oh my God."

I looked away guiltily. Ethan looked more confused than ever and still tried to calm Sonya down, but she kept pushing him away.

"You were with her last night! When you told me yesterday 'you had to be somewhere', you were going to Rose!" she exclaimed.

"Who's Rose?" Ethan asked frowning.

Sonya's eyes flashed with anger. "Don't tell me you slept with her, Dimitri!"

"You have a girlfriend?" Ethan said, surprised.

I sighed. This was just wonderful. Thanks to Sonya Ethan now knew I was seeing someone. There was no point in denying it so I just said, "Yes."

"Congrats, man!" he exclaimed, grinning. Then he noticed Sonya's angry look and he quickly shut up.

"Don't be so happy about that," she snapped. "He's dating his student, for God's sake!"

"Sonya!" I said, glaring at her. "Stop it."

Ethan's eyes widened. "What? You're dating a student?"

"Please don't tell me you had sex with her," Sonya said angrily. "You aren't that stupid, are you?" I didn't say anything. By the look on my face she knew she was right. "Oh God, Dimitri! How could you be so stupid?"

I didn't respond. She could think and say what she wanted, but I didn't feel guilty for sleeping with Rose. I didn't regret it. I loved her with all my heart and if I could turn back time, I wouldn't change anything that had happened last night.

"Sonya, stay calm," Ethan said. "He's your brother. Don't say things you'll regret later."

"But he's being a moron! Someone needs to make him realize he can't just date his student without getting caught," Sonya exclaimed. "He's a fool if he thinks that girl actually likes him. She's probably just dating him to get good grades!"

"Stop it!" I said, my voice getting louder. "You don't know anything about us! I love her and Rose loves me too!"

Sonya snorted. "Sure. If that's what you want to believe."

"It's true. You think I would do something like that if I didn't love her?!"

"You're unbelievable-"

"I don't care what you think," I interrupted her. "Nothing you say will change my mind about Rose." Sonya opened her mouth to say something, but I didn't let her speak. "I'm going now. And don't call me," I added warningly. "You're not going to change my mind. Not now. Not ever."

I strode past her. Walking downstairs, Karolina appeared in the hallway.

"What's going on? I heard you and Sonya yell-"

"Nothing," I said harshly. "I just need to leave. I'll see you later, Karolina."

I opened the door and almost sprinted toward my car. I was just about to drive away when Ethan knocked on the window. I rolled it down.

"Sorry, man," he said apologetically. "I had no idea…"

"It's okay," I said. "I'm sorry that I yelled, but I…"

"I understand," Ethan said. "Don't worry. I'll handle Sonya."

"Will you please make sure that she doesn't tell Karolina? I don't want to deal with her too."

"Sure," Ethan said.

I mustered up a smile. "Thanks."

I drove away, back to my apartment so I could take a shower and change my clothes. I needed to calm down before I went back to Rose. I didn't want her to know I had a fight with Sonya about her. God, I hoped Sonya wouldn't tell the rest of my family. I didn't need their disapproving looks, too. I knew I had to tell them eventually, but not yet.

My phone buzzed. I was reluctant to look – it might be Sonya – but I looked anyway. It was a text from Rose.

_Don't forget your swimming trunks when you come back, comrade. You don't want to fall into the water again with your clothes on.  
__Xoxo, Rose._

I rolled my eyes at the text, but hearing something from her lifted my mood. I took a quick shower and got dressed before getting into my car again and driving back to Rose.

**RPOV**

As soon as the doorbell rang, I jumped up and almost ran toward the door. I had been so bored without Dimitri. Grinning, I opened the door.

"Hey comrade!"

"Hi Roza," he said smiling.

I stepped aside so he could come in and closed the door behind him. Leaning down, he kissed me gently. I took his hand and pulled him with me to the living room. We sat down on the couch and a flashback of what had happened last night came to my mind. Thinking about it made me blush furiously. Luckily, Dimitri didn't notice. He seemed a little distracted.

"So, how did it go with your sister?" I asked. "Was she mad?"

A dark look crossed his face, but it faded quickly. "It was okay," he said quietly.

I frowned. "Are you sure? Because you don't look like it was okay," I said hesitantly.

He sighed. "Well, she found out I was with you."

"Did you tell her?" I asked. "Was she angry?"

"I didn't tell her," Dimitri answered. "She guessed. And yeah, she was pretty angry."

I bit my lip. "Oh. What are you going to do now?"

Dimitri looked up at me. "Nothing. There's nothing I can do. She just has to accept that I love you and if she doesn't…" He shrugged. "That's not my problem."

"But what if she tells-"

"She won't go that far," Dimitri interrupted. "She might not like it that we're together, but she wouldn't sell us out."

"But she's angry with you because of me," I said sighing. "I don't want you to fight with your sister because you're having a relationship with me."

"She'll come around. She just needs some time. Don't you worry about it," he said gently, lifting my chin with his fingers. "And if she doesn't…well, I don't care. I'm not going to give you up, just because she doesn't approve. I love you, Roza. And no matter what she says, it's not going to change how I feel about you."

"I love you too, Dimitri. But I can't help but feel that it's my fault that-"

Dimitri silenced me with a kiss. "Don't worry, Roza," he whispered against my lips. "I'll deal with Sonya."

"Okay," I whispered back and let him kiss me again.

We spent the rest of the day in the garden and in the pool. I lay on the chair, hoping the sun would give me a nice tan. My eyes were closed and I was about to fall asleep, but suddenly I felt water drops fall on my face and shoulders. Reluctantly, I opened my eyes and looked into Dimitri's beautiful brown eyes. He grinned and shoved his arms under my body, lifting me up.

"Hey!" I exclaimed. "What are you doing?" He took me to the pool. "No! Don't you dare to throw me into the water, Dimitri! It took ages for my hair to dry!"

He didn't listen. I closed my eyes before I hit the water. It felt cold after spending so much time lying on a chair in the sun. I came up for air, spluttering water. Dimitri stood near the edge, laughing.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "You're a dead man, Dimitri Belikov."

"Oh, really?" he said grinning.

"Nah, I don't want to hurt your pretty face."

I swam toward the edge and he crouched down, smiling. Leaning closer to him, I pressed my lips against his. He responded to the kiss eagerly. I smiled against his lips, hoping I was distracting him enough, and I grabbed his arms and pulled. But he didn't move.

"That's not going to work, Roza," he murmured against my lips.

I groaned and he pulled away from my lips, grinning.

"Damn it," I muttered as I let go of him.

Laughing, he joined me in the pool and draped his arms around me.

"If you wanted me in the water, you could've just asked," he said, leaning closer to me.

"Why don't you ever let your guard down?" I grumbled.

He smiled. "My guard is always down when I'm with you, Roza."

I looked up at him and his smile grew wider. Before I could give him a response, his lips crushed against mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck and my body pressed against his. Without breaking the kiss, he lifted me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist. Our lips continued to move in sync, but after a while I had to pull away for oxygen. Dimitri looked like he could have gone on forever without needing to breathe. He leaned his forehead against mine.

"I love you," he whispered.

I smiled back at him. "I love you too."

Dimitri leaned in and gave me a sweet, tender kiss on the lips.

"Will you stay with me tonight?" I asked.

"I'd love to. At least, if you want me to," he added hastily.

I pecked him on the lips. "Of course. Otherwise I wouldn't have asked, comrade."

He stayed the night and the night after that. In the end, he stayed until the day my mom came back. I didn't want him to leave, but I didn't want my mother to find him here either. I was sure she would recognize him immediately so he had to get out of here before she was back.

So, reluctantly, I said goodbye to him. In fact, I'd been saying goodbye to him for about half an hour now and he still hadn't left. But that was all my fault. I couldn't let him go.

"I'll call you later," he promised, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

I nodded and gave him another kiss. "Do you really have to go?" I asked.

Dimitri laughed. "You do realize that you're the one sending me away, right?"

"I know, but I don't want you to leave," I said pouting.

"I don't want to leave either, but I don't think it's smart to be here when your mother is about to come home."

I sighed. "You're right."

He smiled and kissed me one last time. "Bye, Roza."

"Bye, Dimitri," I murmured as he opened the front door and walked away.

I leaned against the frame and watched him leave. When he got into his car and drove away, I turned around and closed the door behind me. For the first time in my life I wished I had to go to school tomorrow so I could see him. I knew he'd just been here for a couple of days and we'd had an amazing time, but I missed him already and I couldn't wait to see him again.

* * *

**So it wasn't the drama some of you hoped for (Lissa walking in on them), but I hope you liked it anyway! Do you think Sonya will keep quiet to the rest of the family about Dimitri's secret? Her hubby already found out because of their fight. Maybe he can convince her to keep it a secret :) **

**In a few chapters we'll see some old faces again. Can you guess who? :p **

**Please leave me a review and tell me what you think ;) **

**Have a nice day! **


	19. Chapter 19

**Thank you very much for all the lovely reviews! ^^**

**For the people who are worrying that Rose is going to get pregnant, I'll tell you now that that is not going to happen. In my opinion, there are already enough stories about Rose being pregnant and still a teen. I don't want to do the same. **

**Anyway, here's the new chapter. Enjoy! ;) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 19**

**RPOV**

"Did you buy your dress yet?" Lissa asked.

"Hmm?" I said distractedly as I stuffed the last piece of my donut into my mouth.

"Did you buy your dress yet?" Lissa repeated.

"Dress? Why do I have to buy a dress?" I asked frowning.

She rolled her eyes. "For the dance, Rose!" she said impatiently. "Next week there's a school dance. Remember?"

"Oh yeah… I'd completely forgotten about that," I said.

Lissa regarded me expectantly and when I didn't say anything, she said, "Well?"

"I'm not going," I said shrugging.

She gasped. "Why not?"

I shrugged again. "I don't want to. Besides, I don't have a date. Everyone is going with their boyfriend. I don't have one."

Adrian snorted and I glared at him. He cleared his throat and quickly looked away.

"Why don't you go with Adrian? He would love to go with you, don't you, Adrian?" Lissa said, turning to him.

He smiled. "Sure. It would be my pleasure to go with you, little girl," he said winking at me. "If that's allowed, of course. We don't want anyone to get jealous."

I nudged him and he grinned. Lissa eyed the both of us suspiciously, but then she shrugged slightly and said excitedly, "See. You can go with Adrian."

"Liss…" I said hesitantly. "I don't know if that's a good idea."

She frowned. "Why not? You don't have to go as a couple. Just go as friends. What's the big deal?"

I bit my lip. How was I going to get out of this one without telling her the real reason why I couldn't go with Adrian? I had been lying to her for weeks – no, months – about Dimitri. The guilt was starting to eat me up. How long was I going to be able to keep this from her?

"Yeah," Adrian said slyly. "What is the big deal?"

I kicked his leg under the table and he yelped.

"I just don't feel like going, Liss. Sorry," I said, giving her an apologetic look.

"You can't let me go alone," she whined. "You have to go with me."

"But Christian will be there with you," I countered. "You won't be alone."

"But I want you there too!"

I sighed and leaned against my chair. What was I going to do now? I really didn't want to go alone. Everyone would be there with a date. The only person I would want as a date was Dimitri and it was obvious for certain reasons I couldn't take him with me. And I could hardly go with someone else. I didn't even want that.

"Please Rose," Lissa begged. "Just go with Adrian."

"I can't," I said, hoping she would let it go.

"Why not?"

Adrian shot me a look that said I should just tell her already. I sighed.

"What is up with the both of you?" Lissa said frowning. "You are giving each other those meaningful looks… What's going on here that I don't know about?" She turned to me. "Rose? What's going on?"

"This is probably my cue to leave," Adrian said. He got up from his chair and as he walked away, he looked over his shoulder and said, "See you later, girls."

When he was gone, Lissa asked, "What are you keeping from me?"

"Nothing," I lied.

She raised her eyebrows. "Don't give me that crap, Rose. You're hiding something. And it seems like Adrian knows more about it than I do and I'm your best friend!" she said indignantly.

"Ssh, people are looking," I said in a hushed tone as I looked around in the cafeteria. "And yes, I will tell you, but not here." I didn't want any eavesdroppers if I was going to tell her about Dimitri.

"Then where?" she asked, calm again now she was sure I was going to tell her.

"At your place? After school?" I suggested.

"Okay," she agreed.

I was glad she was patient enough to let it go until we got to her home. After making sure Andre or her parents weren't in the hallway, I shut the door to her room and sat down next to her on her bed.

"What is up with you? Why are you so paranoia?" she asked, crossing her arms. "Nobody will listen at the door if that's you're afraid of."

"Can't be sure enough," I said shrugging.

"Is it top secret?" Lissa asked. I could see the curiosity in her eyes.

I nodded.

"Then why does Adrian know?" she asked with a frown.

"He found out somehow. I don't know how he did it," I said shrugging.

"But what did he find out?" Lissa said, impatient. "What are you hiding from me?"

I took a deep breath and said, "I'm in a relationship with Dimitri."

"You are _what_?" Lissa exclaimed, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging wide open as if she couldn't believe what I'd just said.

I told her everything that had happened between Dimitri and me since the day she'd found me crying in the bathroom after Dimitri had told me our kiss had been a mistake. I told her about how Dimitri had tried to change my mind about going out with Adrian, about how he'd saved me from Jesse. I told her he'd lied about the kiss and that he'd admitted he had feelings for me. While I talked, Lissa stayed silent, not interrupting me once. Occasionally she would gasp or smile. She didn't look so mad that I hadn't told her sooner about Dimitri. But when I was finally done with my story, she burst out.

"Oh my God, I can't believe you kept this all a secret! I'm your best friend," she exclaimed.

"I couldn't tell you, Liss," I said. "Nobody's supposed to know."

"But Adrian knows!"

"I didn't tell him! I swear. He found out somehow," I said. I looked at her pleadingly. "Please keep this to yourself. Don't tell anyone. Not even Christian."

"Of course I won't tell anyone," she said, almost outraged. "I'm your best friend. You can trust me." She huffed and crossed her arms. "I don't get it. You told me you two kissed at New Year's Eve and you told me what he'd said to you afterwards. Why couldn't you tell me he made up with you?"

I shrugged. "I don't know… I guess it was easier this way and I didn't really want to tell you about what had happened with Jesse…"

She shook her head and sighed. She'd apparently calmed down, which I was glad for. "I can't believe Jesse did that to you. He's insane. Thank God Dimitri was there to protect you."

I smiled. "Yeah. Jesse hasn't bothered me anymore since that day. I know he has moved, but he hasn't even texted me. I'm glad Dimitri convinced him to leave me alone."

"Convinced him? Yeah right." Lissa snorted, but couldn't help a small smile. "It's so amazing he did that for you. He must really love you."

I nodded, almost shy. "I love him too. That's why I can't go with Adrian to the dance. I can't do that to Dimitri. It wouldn't be fair."

"But why not?" Lissa said. "He knows you're just friends with Adrian. It wouldn't be like a real date. It's just that you don't have to go alone."

I sighed. "I don't know."

"Why don't you ask him?" she asked. "See what he says. Maybe he doesn't mind."

I gave her a dry look. "Didn't you hear what I just told you? He was jealous of Adrian and didn't want me to go out with him."

"Yes, but that was before you were together with him," Lissa said. "He thought you were moving on. Now he'll know you just need a friend to go with to the dance. He knows you love him." When I didn't say anything, Lissa looked at me pleadingly and said, "Please, Rose. Don't make me go alone."

"But Christian will-"

"Yes, I know that. But I want my best friend there too," she interrupted. "It's no fun if you're not going to be there."

"But Mia and Mason will be there too. And Eddie and Jill probably too."

"Yes, but they're not you," Lissa said. "Please, Rose. Just ask him."

I sighed and gave in. "Fine. I'll ask him next time I see him."

Lissa smiled brightly. "Good. Thank you, Rose. Besides, you'll see Dimitri there. I'm sure he'll be there with the other teachers to keep an eye on the students."

"Yeah, probably," I said, smiling reluctantly. If I was going to go, I really hoped he would be there too. I wouldn't be able to talk to him that much, but at least I would see him.

So the next day, after a lot of whining from Lissa, I stayed behind when the rest of the students cleared out of the classroom. I was glad Eddie hadn't waited for me this time. He was meeting Jill so he had to hurry.

I approached Dimitri. "I need to ask you something," I said hesitantly. "Do you have some time right now?"

He looked up from his paperwork and smiled. "I always have time for you, Roza."

I blushed. "Well…um, it's about the dance next week."

"What about it?"

I bit my lip as I pondered how to ask this. "Would you mind if I'd go with Adrian? Not as a date, of course. Just as friends," I added quickly when I saw a frown forming on his face. "It's just that Lissa wants me to go, but I can't go alone because everyone will go with their partner. I will look stupid if I come alone so yeah…" I trailed off.

Dimitri sighed and then said, "You can go with Adrian. And you don't have to ask me permission to go with him."

I looked at him, a little bit surprised. "I don't? But-"

"I know you're friends with him," he interrupted gently, "and that he would like to be more than friends, but I trust you. I believe you when you say you're just going as friends."

"Are you sure? Because I don't really feel like going anyway…" I admitted.

He smiled. "Why not?"

"Because I can't go with the one I really would like to go with," I mumbled, looking up at him.

His smile dropped and I regretted my words immediately. I didn't want to make him feel bad.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, taking my hand in his. "I wish I could take you, but…" He sighed.

"I know you can't," I said, "and that's okay. I understand. It's just a stupid dance anyway."

He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "Just go with Adrian and have some fun, okay?"

"You know you're my first choice, right?" I said, leaning closer to him. "If it was possible I would go with you."

He squeezed my hand. "I know."

"Will you be there, too?" I asked.

"Yes," he said smiling. "So you'd better go. If I can't be with you there, I at least want to see you."

"I'll wear something nice. Especially for you," I said grinning.

"Not too nice, please. I don't want Adrian to ogle you all night."

"Don't worry," I said. "I'll make sure he behaves."

Dimitri smiled again. "Good."

"There's something else I need to tell you," I said, again hesitant.

"What's wrong?" he asked frowning when he saw my serious face.

"I…umm….well, I told Lissa," I said. "About us. I didn't want to at first, but she kept asking me questions, like why I couldn't go with Adrian and she had a feeling I was keeping things from her and she thought Adrian knew something…" I realized I was rambling by now and tried to get to the point. "Anyway, she knew I was hiding something and I figured I could tell her, because she also knows about what happened on New Year's Eve. She's my best friend so don't worry. She won't tell anyone." I bit my lip. "Are you mad? I'm sorry, but I couldn't lie to her anymore."

"I'm not mad, Roza," Dimitri responded with a small smile, "but it would've been better if nobody had ever found out. First Adrian, then my sister… And now Lissa. But if you trust her to keep it a secret then I trust her too."

I sighed in relief.

"You thought I would be angry?" he asked, a little amused.

I shrugged. "I don't know. It is kind of a big deal. If the wrong people find out, you could lose your job and I could get expelled."

"I know," he said sighing, "but it's just a couple of months until graduation. I hope that your friends will keep this a secret until then."

"Of course they will," I said, a little offended.

"Relax, Roza, I didn't mean anything with it," Dimitri said, a smile tugging at his lips.

I sighed. "Well, I better get going and tell Lissa the good news," I said, rolling my eyes and I made my way toward the door. "She'll be thrilled." I turned to him again, with my hand on the doorknob, and said, "See you later, comrade!"

I winked at him and his smile grew wider as he shook his head slightly. I left the classroom and texted Lissa as I made my way to the exit.

Suddenly, a door opened and a voice said, "Rose, can I talk to you for a second?"

Startled, I looked up and saw Mrs. Hale. She didn't look too happy. I gulped and nodded. She held the door open for me and I walked into the empty classroom.

"Take a seat," Mrs. Hale said.

Silently, I sat down and looked at her. She stayed on her feet and I wished I'd declined to sit down. Now I felt so small compared to her. She wasn't as tall as her brother, but she was taller than most women. I kind of felt like a dwarf now as she stood there towering over me.

"What are your plans with my brother?" she suddenly asked.

Taken aback, I stammered, "What…what do you mean?"

"What's the plan? Are you trying to get better grades? Or do you just like to toy with older men?" she said harshly. "Can't you get anyone your age? Or is that not exciting enough?"

"Excuse me?"

She gave me a cold look. "You heard me."

I was too stunned to be outraged. "It's neither," I said quietly. "I'm in love with your brother."

She snorted. "And you expect me to believe that?"

"Well… I guess you'll have to, because it's the truth," I responded. She glared at me and I sighed. "Look, I didn't mean to fall for him, honestly. It just…happened."

"It just happened?" she repeated, her voice cold.

I nodded, not knowing how to explain how I'd fallen in love with Dimitri. I didn't even want to explain this. She was his sister, for God's sake.

"Well, that's too bad," Mrs. Hale said after a few moments of silence, "because you're going to have to break up with him. I won't let him destroy his career and his reputation because of you."

"You want me to break up with him?" I said, kind of surprised she would ask this of me – no, _demand_ this of me. She was crazy if she thought I would ever break up with Dimitri.

"Yes. He might say he loves you now, but he'll get tired of you. You're a pretty, young girl and I'm sure he likes that, but in the end he'll realize that is all you are," Sonya said scornfully. "You don't have a future together. You'll see, he'll dump you as soon as he's over his little crush – or whatever it is. Spare yourself a heartache and break up with him before it's too late."

And with that, she stormed off and left me alone in the classroom. I let out a deep breath and covered my face with my hands. My eyes stung with unshed tears. I'd known Mrs. Hale didn't like me being with Dimitri, but I'd never thought she hated it this much. Did she really think I was just using her brother to get better grades? Did she really think that badly of me?

Even though she'd been mean to me and I felt bad because of what she'd said, I thought it was better not to tell Dimitri about our talk. I didn't want Dimitri to be angry with his sister and fight with her because of me. I didn't want to ruin their relationship. Everything was already hard enough and I didn't need to complicate things even more for them.

So, as I walked home, I decided I would keep this from Dimitri. I guess it was for the best.

* * *

**Lissa knows! Do you think she'll keep quiet? And now Rose is going to the dance with Adrian. Do you think that's a good idea? And what are your thoughts about Rose's little talk with Sonya? Should she tell Dimitri or not? **

**Next chapter is going to be about the dance! **

**Don't forget to review ;p**

**Have a nice day, everyone! :)**


	20. Chapter 20

**Thank you very much for all the reviews, follows and favorites! They make me very happy! :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 20**

**RPOV**

I looked into the mirror one last time before deciding I was good to go. I was wearing a red one shoulder dress, knee-length, and matching heels. I let my hair down, because I knew Dimitri liked it this way. I hoped I would have a chance to talk to him tonight. Otherwise tonight would suck.

I grabbed my purse and made my way downstairs to the living room, where my mom was waiting for me. Her face lit up with a smile when I entered.

"You look beautiful!" she said, getting up from the coach to get a closer look at me. "I haven't seen this before, I think," she suddenly said, taking my arm to look at the bracelet Dimitri had gotten me. "Where did you get this from?"

"It was a gift," I said, a little uneasy. "For my birthday."

"Oh. Who gave it to-"

Luckily, the doorbell rang. My mom looked up and said, "Go open the door! I'd like to meet your date and take a picture of the two of you before you leave."

I groaned. "Is that really necessary?"

"Yes!" Mom said, taking her camera. "Now open the door, Rose."

"Little girl," Adrian greeted me with a dazzling smile as I opened the door for him. He looked me up and down and said, "You look amazing."

"Thanks, you too," I said, mustering up a smile.

It was true. Adrian did look good in a suit, but I imagined Dimitri would look even better. I bet Dimitri would still look good if he was wearing the most ugly clothes in the world.

"Let's go," I said hurriedly as I looked over my shoulder, "before my mom starts taking pictures."

"Pictures?" Adrian said just when my mom appeared behind me and pulled the door open for him.

"Come on in," she said. "It's Adrian, right?"

"Adrian Ivashkov," he said as he stepped inside and shook her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Hathaway."

My mom smiled brightly and I rolled my eyes.

"We don't have time for this," I said impatiently. "We have to go to the dance now. We're already late."

"Just one picture before you go," mom said, waving with her camera.

It turned out to be more than one picture. She'd taken several of Adrian and me in the living room and a couple outside in the garden. I was about to knock the camera out of her hand when she finally decided she had enough pictures. I almost sagged in relief.

I grabbed Adrian's arm and grumbled, "Let's go."

Adrian turned to my mom and said, "Good night, Ms. Hathaway. It was nice meeting you!"

"Likewise, Adrian," she said, smiling at him. When he looked away, mom looked at me and gave me a thumbs up. "Have fun tonight!" she called after us.

"Bye, Mom!" I said before getting inside Adrian's car.

Adrian chatted happily as we drove to school. I didn't say much, just nodded and hummed a few times. He didn't seem to notice. He was probably too excited I wanted to go to the dance with him. I was starting to think that this might be a bad idea. I didn't want him to give any wrong ideas. He knew I was just going with him as friends, though.

We met up with the rest of our friends at the school entrance. Lissa hugged me, saying she was very happy that I was here. She was lucky she was my best friend. Otherwise I wouldn't have come. Or maybe I would have come anyway, just to get a glimpse of Dimitri.

When we entered the gym, I immediately looked for Dimitri. It wasn't hard to find him. I just had to look for the tallest person in the room. He was standing near the far wall with our P.E. teacher, Stan Alto. They were talking, but suddenly Dimitri's gaze turned to me. It was as if he'd sensed I was looking at him. His eyes widened slightly as he looked at me and slowly, a smile crept on his face. I smiled at him before I turned away and followed my friends to get some punch.

After a while, Lissa, Mia and I went to the dance floor while the guys and Jill watched us. I beckoned Jill over, but she shook her head and stayed put next to Eddie. Suddenly, Lissa's eyes widened and she stopped dancing.

"What's wrong?" I asked and I also stopped dancing.

"Please don't freak out," she said, staring at something behind me.

I frowned. "What? Liss, what's wrong?"

She didn't respond and kept staring.

I followed her gaze and gasped. "Oh my God, what is _he_ doing here?"

"I don't get it. I thought he'd moved," Lissa said frowning.

"He did," I exclaimed. "But why would he…why did he come here?"

Oh God. This was bad. This was so, so bad.

"Oh my God, and it looks like Camille is his date!" Lissa said, her eyes almost bulging out of their sockets.

"What's going on?" Mia asked, joining us. Her eyes widened when she followed our gaze. "What is Jesse doing here?"

"I don't know. He's here with Camille, apparently," I said as I saw her standing next to him. I'd never known those two knew each other.

"It looks like he's looking for something," Lissa said.

"Or someone," Mia said. "And it looks like he just found her," she added, glancing at me.

Yeah, she was right. He had found what he was looking for. Me. He was looking straight at me, never blinking. Slowly, a smile spread on his face. It wasn't a friendly smile, though. It was a very creepy smile. I suddenly felt nauseous and I had to look away from him.

"Are you alright?" Lissa asked.

I nodded.

"Let's go back to the guys," Lissa said, tugging me away.

"What's wrong, Rose?" Eddie asked as soon as he saw me. "You look pale. Are you feeling sick?"

"No, I'm fine," I said, my voice trembling.

"You don't look fine," Adrian noted.

"Jesse is here," Lissa said. "He's Camille's date."

"What? Did he see you?" Eddie asked.

I nodded and wrapped my arms around myself, feeling cold all of a sudden.

"Do you want us to have a chat with that fucker?" Christian asked, glaring at Jesse.

I shook my head. "No, don't. He's only going to get angry."

"I don't like it," Eddie said through gritted teeth. "If he comes near you, I swear I will-"

"No, please don't, Eddie," I pleaded. I looked over my shoulder again. Jesse was still looking at me. I had to admit, it frightened me a little, even though I knew we were in a crowded room and he couldn't do anything to me here. "So far, he's leaving me alone. He won't do anything here. So don't start a fight with him, please."

"Fine," Eddie said sighing, "but you have to tell me if he bothers you, okay?"

I nodded.

"Just ignore the guy," Adrian said. "He'll stop when he realizes you're not interested."

Ha. If only that were true.

"You don't have to be scared, Rose," Eddie said softly. "I'll protect you."

I gave him a small smile. "Thanks, Eddie, but I'm fine." I scanned the room, looking for Dimitri. He was standing alone now, near the table with the punch. "Um, I'm going to get some more punch."

I walked off to the table. I looked up at Dimitri, who was watching me. When I'd filled my cup with punch, I looked around. I didn't see Jesse anymore so I decided to take a chance and talk to Dimitri.

"Hi," I said as I approached him.

He smiled. "You look beautiful, Roza."

"Thanks." Mustering up a smile, I said, "You don't look so bad yourself, comrade."

Actually, he was looking as gorgeous as always. He was wearing very dark jeans – almost black – and a white shirt. He even had a tie on. I had to admit, it looked sexy on him. Earlier tonight he was also wearing a suit jacket, but apparently he'd gotten rid it.

My smile vanished quickly, though, as I remembered that I wasn't here to banter with Dimitri.

He noticed something was amiss and asked, "Are you okay? You don't look so well."

I bit my lip. "I saw Jesse. He's here."

Dimitri's face hardened. "What? Why is he here?"

I shrugged. "He's here with Camille."

"Did he see you?" he asked.

I nodded.

"Where is he right now?"

"I don't know. I don't see him anymore."

Dimitri took a step closer to me, his eyes piercing mine. "Don't go outside alone. Stay with your friends, okay?"

"Okay," I said.

"Do not leave without them."

"I won't," I promised.

"Hopefully he'll leave you alone," Dimitri said as his eyes searched through the crowd, looking for Jesse. "I can't believe he came back. I thought he was gone."

"I thought so too, but maybe he's only back in town for tonight," I said, hopeful. "To accompany Camille to the dance. He'll probably leave later tonight. Or tomorrow."

"I hope so," Dimitri said, clenching his jaw. "If he comes near you…" He sighed and shook his head slightly. "Tell me if he tries something, okay? Just text me or come back here."

I nodded. "I will." I looked over my shoulder and as I turned back to him, I said, "I should probably go back before my friends start wondering where I am."

"Okay. Try to have some fun, Roza," Dimitri said, giving me a small smile.

"I'll try," I said, smiling back.

I joined my friends again, who were chatting happily. Lissa moved closer to me and whispered in my ear, "How did it go?"

I shrugged. "Well, he wasn't happy to hear Jesse's here, but yeah…there's nothing he can do. At least, not here."

"Well, let's hope Jesse will leave you alone tonight," Lissa said sighing.

And so far, he did. I thought he would at least try to get near me, but he didn't. He stayed beside Camille the whole time, only glancing at me a couple of times. That was still enough to make me nervous, though. I tried to ignore him and chatted along with my friends.

Suddenly, Lissa grabbed my arm. "It looks like he's leaving," she said.

I looked over my shoulder and saw that she was right. He made his way toward the exit - without Camille. I wondered why he would leave his date here.

"Maybe he's just going to the bathroom," I said.

But after fifteen minutes, he still wasn't back. He must've really left.

"He's left," Lissa said, voicing my thoughts.

"Finally," Eddie muttered.

I relaxed and took a sip of my punch. Taking my cell phone out of my purse, I texted Dimitri. _I think Jesse left. He's been gone for more than fifteen minutes now._

His response came swiftly. _Good. I still want you to be careful, though._

Adrian suddenly turned up next to me. He'd been gone for the last thirty minutes. I wondered where he'd been and what he'd done during that time. "Where did you go?"

He shrugged. "Outside. Smoking."

I scrunched up my nose. "For half an hour?"

"I lost track of time, I guess," he said, slurring a little, as he lifted his hand to drink from a flask.

"What's that?" I asked, eyeing it suspiciously.

"Nothing," Adrian said quickly.

He tried to hide it behind his back, but I was faster and took it from him. I unscrewed the flask and took a careful sniff. "Is this alcohol?" I exclaimed. "You know that's not allowed here!"

"If you keep your voice down no one will know," Adrian said, taking the flask from me.

"You're not drunk, are you?" I asked.

"I don't get drunk," Adrian mumbled.

I rolled my eyes. "Sure."

The beginning of a slow song filled the room and Adrian held out his hand. "Would you like to dance?"

I looked around uneasily. Lissa and Mia were already dancing with their boyfriends. Even Jill and Eddie were up there. I had to admit, they looked very cute together.

"I don't know, Adrian..." I said at last.

"Come on," he said. "It's just one dance."

Without waiting for a response, he grabbed my hand and pulled me to the dance floor. I sighed and gave in.

"One dance, okay?" I said.

Smiling, he nodded and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me closer to him. I let out another sigh and then put my arms around his neck. While we danced, I looked for Dimitri. I noticed him standing against the wall, his arms crossed. He looked at me, smiling. I smiled back. Oh, how I wished I could dance with him instead of Adrian. I rested my chin on Adrian's shoulder and tried to keep a good look on Dimitri, who was still watching me.

Closing my eyes, I pretended I was dancing with Dimitri and not Adrian. Adrian wasn't as tall as Dimitri, but if I kept my eyes closed I could still pretend he was Dimitri. Involuntary, I wrapped my arms more tightly around his neck.

"Rose?" he whispered in my ear, his voice hoarse.

"Hmm?" I said, my mind still with Dimitri.

I looked up at him when he didn't say anything and before I knew what was happening, his lips were on mine. He tasted like alcohol and cigarettes. Startled, I opened my eyes.

Pushing him off me, I exclaimed, "Adrian, what the hell?"

He blinked and looked at me, confused. "I thought that… that maybe…" he stammered.

"That maybe _what_? That I would want to kiss you because we're dancing?" I almost yelled.

"I'm sorry!" he said, looking at me pleadingly. "I'm sorry, Rose…"

I barely heard his apologies. I turned and started looking for Dimitri. Oh God… He was watching when we were dancing. What if he'd seen Adrian kiss me?

Adrian put his hand on my arm, but I pushed him away again. Lissa and Christian were gaping at us, and so was Eddie. Great. They'd seen it, too. I turned away from him and scanned the crowd for Dimitri. My eyes flicked to the exit and I saw a tall figure there. I stood on my tiptoes and saw Dimitri pushing the door open. Oh no. He'd seen it. He'd seen Adrian kiss me.

My heart hammered against my chest. I needed to find him and explain that it was nothing. I needed to tell him I hadn't kissed Adrian back, that I'd pushed him off immediately. He needed to know that. I started to run after him, but Lissa stopped me and pulled me aside.

"What the hell was that?" she exclaimed.

"Nothing," I said, pushing my hair out of my face. "I need to talk to Dimitri. Now."

She bit her lip. "You think he saw?"

"I'm sure of it." Tears welled up in my eyes, but I forced them back. I didn't have time to cry. "Please keep Adrian away from me."

Lissa nodded and let me go. I made my way toward the exit, pushing people aside. I ran through the hallway, trying to figure out where Dimitri might be. He was probably going home. I ran as fast as I could on my heels toward the main entrance. The hallway was empty, except for one person. Dimitri. He was about to open the door and disappear into the night.

"Dimitri, wait!" I called. "Please wait!"

He stopped, his hand still on the door knob, but didn't turn around. When I finally caught up with him, he faced me.

"What?" he said angrily.

"Please let me explain," I said desperately.

"Explain what?" Dimitri said, his voice cold. "Are you going to tell me he accidentally kissed you?"

"No, I-"

"I don't want to hear it," he interrupted, reaching for the door again.

"No, don't go! You have to listen before you make the wrong conclusions," I said.

"I saw enough to make the right conclusions."

"No, that's not true! I didn't kiss him. Adrian kissed _me_. I immediately pushed him away."

I took a step closer to him and wanted to put my hand on his arm, but he instantly took a step back. I dropped my hand and tried to fight the tears. He was so distant and cold, not like he usually was. I felt terrible. It was my fault he was acting like this.

"I trusted you," Dimitri said, his eyes filled with hurt. "I believed you when you said that you were just going as friends. You knew that I was looking and still…you still kissed him. Why?"

"But I didn't kiss him," I insisted. "He kissed me, I swear. If you'd stayed long enough, you would've seen me pushing him away immediately."

"It seemed to me like you were having a nice time with Adrian when you were dancing," he said. "Since you were smiling and you had your eyes closed… It didn't look like two friends dancing."

I couldn't hold back the tears anymore. They streamed down my face. "Dimitri…" I said, my voice breaking. "You have to believe me."

"I don't know what to believe. What I saw-"

Suddenly, I heard footsteps. Dimitri looked up and I quickly wiped the tears from my face. I turned around, just when Adrian came around the corner.

"Adrian – what are you doing here?" I exclaimed.

Dimitri's jaw clenched and he looked at Adrian angrily, but he didn't say anything. Adrian looked at him and then at me.

"I'm sorry, I'm probably interrupting," he said, already retreating.

"No, it's fine. We just finished talking," Dimitri said, his voice strangely calm. "She's all yours, Adrian."

I stared at Dimitri when I heard the double meaning. Was he breaking up with me? Did he really think I wanted to kiss Adrian? Did he really believe that? My bottom lip started to quiver as I tried not to burst out into tears.

"Adrian, I told you to leave Rose alone! Oh…" Lissa came to a standstill when she saw the three of us and looked at us, mouth wide open.

Dimitri glanced at me one last time before opening the door and slipping out into the night. Lissa walked up to me and put her hand on my shoulder, giving me a worried look.

"Rose, I'm so sorry," Adrian said.

"Don't!" I snapped. "You knew Dimitri was there. You knew it and that's why you kissed me!"

"No, that's not true. I swear, Rose… I didn't do it because Belikov was there," he said pleadingly. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking." He sighed and whispered, "I'm sorry."

Then he turned around, his head hanging down, and walked away.

"What did Dimitri say?" Lissa asked quietly.

"He didn't believe me when I said I pushed Adrian away." I was crying again. "I think he just broke up with me."

"Oh, Rose," Lissa said, pulling me into a hug. "It'll be alright. When he's calmed down, he'll realize he shouldn't have broken up with you."

I shook my head. "I ruined everything. I should've never come with Adrian."

"It's not your fault, Rose. Adrian shouldn't have kissed you."

I sniffled. "I need to go to Dimitri. I have to explain him. He needs to believe me."

"Shouldn't you wait a little longer?" Lissa said hesitantly.

"No, this can't wait. He needs to understand. He needs to know I love him."

Lissa nodded. "Okay. Good luck, Rose."

"Thanks."

Without another word, I turned around and opened the door, hoping I would be able to find Dimitri and make things right.

**EDDIEPOV**

It all happened so fast. One moment everyone was just dancing and the next Rose was yelling at Adrian. I hadn't seen what had happened, but according to Lissa Adrian had kissed Rose.

Rose stormed off and not long after that Adrian followed her outside. Lissa called after him, but he didn't respond so she ran after him. Christian looked around, clearly at a loss. Mia and Mason kept dancing. They had no idea what just had happened.

"Excuse me," I said to Jill.

She looked at me, confused, but said nothing. I sprinted off and left the gym, in search for my friends. The hallways were empty, but I heard some angry voices in the distance. I ran as quiet as possible toward the main entrance. There they were. I quickly stopped and hid behind the wall.

"Rose, I'm so sorry."

"Don't! You knew Dimitri was there. You knew it and that's why you kissed me!"

Dimitri? Who was Dimitri?

"No, that's not true," I heard Adrian say. "I swear, Rose… I didn't do it because Belikov was there."

My eyes widened. Belikov? Did they mean Mr. Belikov, our history teacher? It had to be. I remembered now, his first name was Dimitri. But this didn't make any sense. Why would it matter if Mr. Belikov saw Adrian kissing Rose?

"I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking." It was quiet for a few moments. "I'm sorry."

Then I heard footsteps coming my way. I looked around, trying to find a place to hide. The class rooms were locked. I couldn't go in there, but there was a janitor closet in this hallway. Hoping it wasn't locked, I turned the knob. I sighed in relief when the door opened and I quickly went inside. I waited a few seconds and then opened the door again. Adrian was gone. I sneaked back to the corner and listened to Rose and Lissa. I felt bad about eavesdropping on my friends, but I had to find out what was going on.

To my shock, I heard Rose crying and then she said, "I think he just broke up with me."

I frowned. Who'd broken up with Rose? I didn't even know she had a boyfriend.

"Oh, Rose," I heard Lissa say soothingly. "It'll be alright. When he's calmed down, he'll realize he shouldn't have broken up with you."

"I ruined everything. I should've never come with Adrian."

"It's not your fault, Rose. Adrian shouldn't have kissed you."

"I need to go to Dimitri. I have to explain him. He needs to believe me."

"Shouldn't you wait a little longer?" Lissa said hesitantly.

"No, this can't wait. He needs to understand. He needs to know I love him."

I was shocked. She loved Mr. Belikov? Our teacher? How and when did that happen? I couldn't believe this. This couldn't be happening. It was impossible. Or was it? Maybe it wasn't so hard to believe. Maybe it shouldn't have come as a shock. I thought back of all the times she'd stayed behind after class because she had a question for Mr. Belikov about our homework. I'd never thought anything of it, but now… And the way she always acted around him, calling him by his first name, even throwing snow balls at him… Could it be that they were in a relationship? Could it be that he'd seen Adrian kissing Rose and that he just broke up with her because of that?

My head was spinning. How long had this been going on? How long had Lissa known? And Adrian? Had he known too? What about me? Why hadn't she told me? I was her best friend.

The door opened and closed and I figured Rose had left. It was quiet for a while, but then I heard footsteps again and I knew Lissa was coming back. I went back into the closet and waited until she was gone, my mind still reeling.

I opened the door again and just as I was about to go back to the party, a voice behind me said, "It's not nice to eavesdrop, you know."

Startled, I turned around. I immediately clenched my fists when I saw who it was.

"What are you doing here, Jesse?" I growled. "Leave Rose alone!"

"Relax, dude," Jesse said grinning. "I haven't talked to her once tonight."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "How long have you been here?"

He leaned against the wall. "You mean here or at the party?"

"Here," I said, trying to stay calm.

I hadn't seen him here when I'd followed my friends, but what if he'd been nearby and overheard the conversation between Rose, Lissa and Adrian?

"I don't know," he said shrugging. There was an evil glint in his eyes. "Awhile."

"Did you hear anything?"

"Hear what?"

So he didn't hear them. Or was he just toying with me? But why would he be so calm if he'd overheard the conversation? I've known Jesse for years. I know how he can get when someone's paying too much attention to Rose. If he'd been here when Rose was yelling at Adrian, he would've heard Adrian had kissed her and I'm sure he would've freaked out immediately. Especially if he heard Rose had a relationship with another guy. He wouldn't have been able to stay so calm. He would have flipped and demand answers from Rose. No, he couldn't have heard it. He was just toying with me. He'd probably just seen me hide in the closet when Lissa had walked back to the party. That was all.

"Nothing," I said gruffly. "Just get out of my sight!"

I walked away, back to the gym. Before walking in, I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. I was still outraged about the fact that Rose was in a relationship with one of our teachers, but no matter how mad I was about this whole thing I'd just heard, I would have to deal with it tomorrow. For now, I needed to pretend everything was alright.

* * *

**Jesse showed his face again, but he didn't cause the trouble (or at least, not so much) this time! Do you think Rose and Dimitri will make up? And now Eddie knows... Will he tell Rose about what he found out or will he keep this to himself? Also... Did Jesse hear the whole thing? **

**P.S. Tasha and Christian are related, but they are cousins in this story and they didn't have much contact over the years. I made Tasha Christian's cousin because I want her to have the same age as Dimitri. (And Dimitri doesn't know that Christian is related to Tasha, but you'll find out more about this as the story continues.)**

**Have a nice day/evening :) **


	21. Chapter 21

**Thank you for the reviews :) **

**I know some of you are upset about last chapter, but I hope this chapter will make things right for you. Also, the reason for Dimitri's reaction will be explained in this chapter. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 21**

**DPOV**

I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe what just had happened and still… I'd seen it with my own eyes. I'd seen how Adrian had kissed Rose. Right before my eyes. And Rose knew I'd been watching them dance. Why did she let him kiss her? Why didn't she stop him? Why would she do that to me?

But she'd told me she'd pushed him away. Was that true? I hadn't seen it. I'd left as soon as I saw Adrian moving in on her. If I hadn't left, I would've probably done something stupid, like punching Adrian in the face for kissing my girlfriend. I'm sure that would've raised some questions so I had no other choice than to get out of there. On my way out, I'd seen Sonya give me a look that said: I told you so. Of course, she had seen them kiss, too. I bet she was going to tell me tomorrow how she'd been right all this time and I had been wrong.

I walked back to my apartment, hoping the fresh air would calm me down, but it didn't. I was still as mad as hell. And hurt.

I slumped down on my couch, covering my face in my hands. I took a deep breath and tried to forget about the whole thing. But I couldn't. To make matters worse, it reminded me of Tasha, of what she'd done to me. Only this time it hurt ten times more, because I loved Roza more than I'd loved anyone in my entire life.

And now I'd broken up with her without hearing her out. I know she told me she'd pushed Adrian away, but I didn't know if I could believe her. I'd believed Tasha once and it had been a mistake to believe her. But Rose wasn't like Tasha…

Suddenly, I heard a knock on the door. I didn't answer. I didn't feel like getting up and answering the door. Anyway, who would visit me this late at night? It was probably Sonya. I guess she couldn't wait until tomorrow to rub it in my face.

But the knocking didn't stop. Sighing, I got up and strode toward the door. I threw it open and was about to yell at Sonya to leave me alone, but I quickly shut my mouth when I saw it wasn't my sister but Rose at the door.

"Rose, what are you doing here?" I asked not so friendly.

"Can we please talk?" she asked. "Or can you at least listen to me before you make up your mind about me?"

"I'm not really in the mood to-"

"Please, Dimitri. Please just listen," she said pleadingly.

I sighed. I couldn't resist her when she was looking at me like that so I stepped aside and let her in.

"Thank you," she said.

It was quiet for a while. She looked up at me, her face stained with tears. It tugged at my heart and I ached to hold her in my arms, but I had to remind myself that I was still mad and hurt and that I couldn't pretend that everything was okay.

"I know what you're thinking right now," she said at last, "but I swear, I didn't kiss him back. I pushed him away, but you didn't see that because you'd already left. You have to believe me. I didn't want to kiss him, Dimitri."

"Why should I believe you?"_ Please give me a reason to believe you… Please give me a reason to forget about tonight…_

"Because it's true," she said, looking desperate. "I would never lie to you."

I sighed and decided to finally say what was bothering me and why it was so hard to believe her. "But when you were dancing with him, you looked so happy. It looked like you were enjoying being there with him. You were smiling and then he suddenly started kissing you…" I sighed again. "I don't know. It just looked like you were more than happy to be with Adrian tonight."

Or maybe I was just paranoid, jealous and afraid to lose her to him. Because it would be so much easier for her if she was with someone her own age, someone she could spend some time with, someone she could go out with on the weekends, someone she could go to dances with… If she was with me, she couldn't do all that.

"I wasn't!" Rose said. "I only wanted to go to the dance tonight so I could see _you_. Adrian wanted to dance and I figured that was okay… And the reason why I was smiling..." She bit her lip, but then shrugged. "Well, to be honest, I was just pretending that I wasn't with Adrian on the dance floor, but with you." She hesitantly looked at me through her eyelashes. "I know that's silly, but well… I might've been dancing with Adrian, but in my thoughts I was with you the entire time."

I stared at her, speechless.

"And before I knew what was happening, he kissed me," she continued. "He was a little drunk, I think. Maybe that's why he did it, maybe not. I don't know."

I snorted. "He's in love with you. That's why he did it."

"If I'd known he would kiss me, I wouldn't have danced with him. I even wouldn't have gone to the dance with him," Rose said. "I love _you_, Dimitri. Only you." Her voice broke and her eyes filled with tears again. "I don't want to lose you." She wiped at her eyes. "You have to believe me."

And I did. I finally believed her.

Taking a few steps forward, I closed the distance between us and kissed her. She was surprised, but responded to the kiss immediately. I pulled her closer to me as she wrapped her arms around my neck.

"I'm sorry," I whispered when I pulled away. "I'm sorry for walking away like that, without hearing you out."

"I'm sorry for going to the dance with Adrian," she whispered back.

"No, I overreacted. I should've known you wouldn't do that to me. I'm sorry, Roza."

I kissed her again, wrapping my arms around her and holding her close.

**-M SCENE- **

Quickly, our kisses grew more passionate and she wrapped her legs around my waist. We kept kissing as I stumbled through my apartment to my bedroom. Gently, I put Roza down on the bed. Kicking of my shoes, I hovered over her and moved my lips to hers again. As I left a trail of kisses down her jaw line to her neck, she tugged at my shirt. Taking the hint, I pulled away from her neck and quickly unbuttoned my shirt before taking it off. I leaned down again and pressed my body closer to hers, kissing the sensitive spot behind her ear. Moaning softly, she dug her fingernails into my back.

I placed a soft kiss on her lips before peeling off her dress. I returned to her lips and as we continued to kiss, my hands moved to her back to unclasp her bra. Her lips moved along my jaw, her teeth grazing my neck, causing me to groan. God, I'd never needed her as much as I did right now.

Her hands moved down my chest and to my pants, unbuckling my belt. After removing my jeans, I hovered over her again. We were both breathing heavily by now. Slowly, I kissed down her body and when I reached her panties, I pulled them off and threw it on the heap of clothes next to the bed. My boxers followed suit.

Moving on top of her again, I kissed her lips one last time before burying myself inside of her. Rose gasped and I stilled.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

She nodded and wrapped her legs around my waist, pushing me deeper inside of her. I groaned and, pressing my lips against hers, thrusted my hips forward. I tangled one of my hands in her hair as we rocked our bodies together.

My breath came in pants as I moved inside of her at a frenzied pace. Her body tightened around me as she cried out my name and that was my undoing. I collapsed on top of her, utterly spent, and rested my head in the crook of her neck, placing a soft kiss on it.

**-END M SCENE-**

After a few moments I lifted my head to meet her eyes and as she looked at me lovingly, I couldn't believe that an hour ago I'd had doubts about her feelings for me. I was such an idiot.

"You're a fool for thinking I would want to be with Adrian, you know that?" she said, caressing my cheek. It was like she could read my mind sometimes.

I smiled. "I know."

**RPOV**

I opened my eyes and sighed, knowing that I had to go back to school before my mother would come to pick me up. Sighing again, I forced myself to roll over to the side of the bed.

"Don't go," Dimitri whispered. He grabbed my arm and pulled me back against his side. "Stay. Please."

"I can't," I said regrettably. I wanted nothing more than to stay in his arms all night, but I couldn't. I had to leave. "My mom is going to pick me up in about half an hour. I have to go."

Instead of letting me go, Dimitri pulled me closer and wrapped his arms firmly around my waist. "I don't want you to leave," he said, kissing me softly.

He looked at me pleadingly and I was really tempted to stay, but I couldn't do that. My mom would freak out if she didn't see me at the school gate at midnight.

"Please." He pressed his lips against my neck.

I closed my eyes briefly before giving in. "Fine. Maybe there's a way I can stay, but then I'll need to call my mom."

Dimitri's face brightened immediately and finally he let me go. I sat up and tried to find my purse in the dark.

"Where's my goddamned purse?" I muttered.

"I think it's here," Dimitri murmured as he flicked on the lights and bent down to pick something up. "Here you go."

"Thanks," I said, taking it from him. I searched for my phone and dialed my mom's number. It didn't take long for her to pick up.

"Is everything alright, Rose?" she asked, her voice edged with worry.

"I'm fine, Mom. Don't worry," I responded.

"Then why are you calling? I thought I needed to pick you up at twelve?"

"Umm… Would you mind if I'd stay over at Lissa's tonight?" I asked.

It was quiet for a moment, but then at long last she said: "Sure… If that's what you want."

Huh. This was easier than I'd thought.

"Thanks," I said.

"I have to work tomorrow so I can't pick you up at Lissa's. Can Rhea drop you off?"

"Sure. No problem," I said. "I'll see you tomorrow night then, I guess."

"Yeah. Good night, honey. Have fun," she said.

"Thanks, Mom. Good night."

I disconnected and immediately dialed Lissa's number.

"Rose, are you okay? Where are you?"

I rolled my eyes. Sometimes Lissa sounded a lot like my mom. "I'm fine, Liss. I'd like to ask you something."

"What do you want to ask me?" I heard a rustle in the background and then her irritated voice, "No, I'm not giving you my phone, Adrian. You can apologize on Monday!" She cleared her throat and said, "Sorry about that. So what's your question?"

"Do you want to be my alibi?" I asked. "I told my mom I'm staying over at your place."

"Oh, you worked things out with Dimitri?" she said. I could almost hear her smile. "Got it. If she asks me something, I'll tell her you were with me all night."

"Thanks, Liss. I'm sorry I took off like that."

"Don't worry about it. I would probably have done the same."

I tried to concentrate on what she was saying, but Dimitri was distracting me when he started to place soft kisses on my neck and shoulder.

"Rose? Rose, are you still there?"

"Huh? What?" I said, blinking. I turned to Dimitri, putting my hand over the speaker, and hissed, "Stop it, Dimitri."

He just grinned and pressed his lips against my cheek and then moved to the corner of my mouth.

"Hey! I can hear you!" I heard Lissa yell through the phone.

I smacked Dimitri's chest playfully and he looked at me in mock outrage, which made me laugh.

"What are you doing there?" Lissa exclaimed. "Never mind. I don't want to know."

"Sorry," I said.

"I'm assuming everything's alright again?" she said. "He believes you?"

"Yes," I said smiling.

"Good. Tell me all about it tomorrow. I have to go now."

"Okay. Bye, Liss." After she'd disconnected, I put my phone away and turned to Dimitri. "Why are you always distracting me when I'm on the phone?"

Dimitri gave me a crooked smile. "As if you mind. Besides, you're always distracting me in class. It's only fair."

"I don't distract you in class!"

"Yeah, you do," he said.

"How? I'm not doing or saying anything," I said frowning slightly.

"You're distracting me by just being there," Dimitri said. "Do you know how hard it is to concentrate when you're in the same room?"

"Sorry," I mumbled.

Smiling, he lay back down and grabbed my arms, pulling me against him. I snuggled closer to him and rested my head on his chest. He kissed the top of my head and stroked my hair. I was on the verge of falling asleep when he said softly, "Thank you for staying here, Roza."

I smiled. "You're welcome."

Dimitri shifted and flicked off the lamp on his nightstand. I rolled onto my side and he spooned me, wrapping his arms around me.

"Goodnight, Roza," he whispered as he kissed me behind my ear.

"Night, comrade," I murmured tiredly.

In a matter of seconds, I fell asleep. That's how exhausted I was. Hours later, I woke up because I was hungry. My stomach was growling so hard, it had woken me up. Great. Luckily, Dimitri was still asleep and hadn't heard a thing.

Disorientated, I squinted at the clock. It was eight in the morning. I sighed and wanted to get up, but Dimitri was wrapped around me tightly, still sleeping peacefully, and I didn't want to wake him up, which I definitely would do if I moved. I tried nonetheless – very carefully. It didn't work, though. Not even a minute later, he stirred.

"What are you doing?" he asked groggily, nuzzling my neck.

"I'm trying to get up," I said, trying to push him off me. He just wrapped his arms more tightly around me. "But I obviously can't."

"Why would you want to get up?" His head suddenly shot up. "Did you want to leave without waking me up?"

"No, I'm just hungry," I said. As if on cue, my stomach growled.

Chuckling, he rolled off me. "Do you want me to make you something for breakfast?"

"No, you don't have to get up," I said. "You can get some more sleep if you want."

"But-"

I silenced him with a kiss and got up. Dimitri looked at me as I got dressed and I winked at him before leaving his room.

Searching through his kitchen cabinets, I found cereals. Taking a bowl, I filled it with the cereals and milk. Not even five minutes later, the door to his bedroom opened and Dimitri walked out, half naked.

"I'm going to take a shower. Don't go anywhere while I'm gone," he said.

"I'll stay right here," I promised.

He smiled and walked over to me to kiss my forehead before heading to the bathroom. I got up from my seat and went back to his bedroom to retrieve my phone. Walking back, I checked if my mom had called me, but she hadn't. I'd received a couple of texts from Adrian, though, saying that he was sorry and would like to talk it out. I ignored him. I was still too angry at him, but when I'd cooled off I guess we could talk.

I continued to eat and as I munched on my cereals, there was a knock on the door. Startled, I looked up and dropped my spoon with a loud clatter in the bowl. I glanced at the clock. It was half past eight. Who would be here this early in the morning?

There was another knock on the door and then a voice said, "Dimka, I know you're here! Open the door!"

I recognized the voice immediately and I started to panic. Dimitri's sister would freak out if she found me here.

"Dimitri, if you don't open this door right now, I'll use the spare key!" she threatened, pounding on the door once again.

I gulped. Maybe I should go hide in the bedroom. Just when I was about to get up and get away before it was too late, she opened the door, spare key in her hand.

"Oh!" She looked at me, wide-eyed.

"Hi," I said nervously as I straightened my dress, trying to look a little bit presentable.

"I didn't expect you to be here," she said, eyeing my outfit. "Certainly not this early."

I suddenly realized I was wearing the same dress as last night and how this must look for her. She'd probably figured out that I'd stayed over here. I turned bright red as she looked at me disapprovingly. I was still mad at her for the things she'd said to me last week, but right now I was too embarrassed to say something about it.

Mrs. Hale cleared her throat and asked, "Where is Dimitri?"

"He's in the shower," I mumbled, avoiding eye contact.

She sighed. "I'll just wait, then."

An awkward silence fell. I was kind of surprised she hadn't started screaming at me yet for being here so I guess this was progress. Not knowing what to do or say, I sat back down and ate my breakfast.

After fifteen more minutes, the door to the bathroom finally opened and Dimitri walked out – still half naked.

"The shower is all yours, Roza." He hadn't even noticed his sister was in the room. "But I think we should shower together next time," he said teasingly. "To save some water, you know-"

I almost choked on my cereals and quickly looked over at Mrs. Hale, who was looking horrified. That's when Dimitri noticed her.

His eyes widened slightly and he said, "What…what are you doing here, Sonya? And how did you get in?"

"Spare key," she said, holding it up. "But if I'd known you weren't alone, I wouldn't have come."

Dimitri walked into his bedroom and when he came back, he was wearing a shirt. "It's not because I have a spare key under my doormat you have to use it every time," he said, buttoning up his shirt. "It's for emergencies."

"Well, this is an emergency," she said defiantly. "I need to talk to you. In private," she added, glaring at me.

"About what?" he said.

"About what happened last night," she said, crossing her arms.

I bit my lip. I hadn't known Mrs. Hale had been at the dance last night. And apparently she'd seen what had happened there. This was just wonderful. I really wasn't making a good impression on her.

"There's nothing to talk about. Everything's fine," Dimitri said.

"I'm aware of that," Mrs. Hale said dryly, "but I'd still like to talk to you."

"Umm…I'll just go," I said as I started to get up.

"No, you don't have to go," Dimitri said quickly. "It won't take long."

"You sure?" I asked.

He nodded. "Just stay here. We'll go somewhere else."

"Okay," I said hesitantly.

Dimitri gave me a small smile before heading to his bedroom. Mrs. Hale followed him inside. The door closed behind them and sighing, I sat back down. I looked at my cereals and suddenly didn't feel so hungry anymore. Instead, I just waited until they came back. They were probably talking about me, about what had happened last night at the dance. She was probably trying to convince him he should dump me.

At first I didn't hear anything, but then their voices started to get louder and louder until I could hear everything.

"Have you lost your mind?" I heard Mrs. Hale shouting. "You've got a student in your apartment! Don't you realize how dangerous this is?"

"So? I love her and she loves me! What does it matter if she's my student?" Dimitri shouted back.

"It matters, Dimitri, and you know it! You might love her, but do you honestly think she loves you back? Last night, she was kissing with another boy. If she really loves you, she wouldn't do that!"

"Adrian kissed _her_. Rose pushed him away immediately. It didn't mean anything to her!"

"How would you know? Last night, you seemed pretty much pissed off."

"That's because I didn't know the truth! But she explained me everything last night and I believe her."

"She's only using you!" Mrs. Hale exclaimed.

I tried to ignore the voices coming from Dimitri's bedroom, but it was impossible. I wished I'd just left. Now I had to hear them fight. About me. I'd tried to avoid this by not telling Dimitri about my conversation with his sister, but it'd been for nothing.

"That's not true!"

"Remember Tasha? You used to believe her every time and see what happened? I tell you now, it's going to happen again if you don't break things off with Rose! It already did. Last night!"

I frowned. Who was Tasha? Was she an ex-girlfriend of Dimitri?

"Roza is _nothing_ like Tasha. Don't you dare to compare her to Tasha!" Dimitri yelled. If he'd been angry before, he sure as hell was now.

"What do you think is going to happen when someone finds out you're having a relationship with your student?" I was hoping to hear some more about this Tasha girl, but apparently Mrs. Hale had been taken aback by his tone when she'd mentioned Tasha so now she was trying a different tactic. "What do you think will happen? You're going to get fired! Maybe they'll even throw you into jail for dating a minor!"

"Rose is eighteen!"

"She wasn't when you started dating her," Sonya shot back, "and that doesn't make it right! She's still your student. You're making a big mistake, Dimka. It's not too late to end it. You can still tell her it's over."

It was quiet for a while. Then Dimitri said at last, "No. I won't do that. I love Rose. It doesn't matter what you think or say. I won't break up with her. So you better get used to it."

Mrs. Hale let out a frustrated cry. "You are both so stubborn! Neither of you realizes this has to end!"

"What do you mean? You talked to Roza?"

"Yes!"

Oh shit. This was not good.

"When?"

"Does it matter? And it's not like it helped. Like I said, she's just as stubborn as you."

"What did you say to her?" Dimitri demanded.

"I told her to break up with you, because _you_ won't do it."

"You said what?" Dimitri said, outraged. "How dare you to talk to her behind my back and tell her to break up with me? What's wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with _me_? What's wrong with _you_?!"

"You tried to ruin my relationship with Roza! How could you do that? You're my sister."

"I did it because I don't want to see you get hurt!"

"Don't give me that crap. You did it because you can't stand it that I'm with Rose. Because she's my student." He sighed. "Look, if you want to tell someone, just go ahead and do it! But stop trying to convince me I'm better off with Roza. I'm sick of hearing it."

"You know I would never tell this to someone. I don't want you to lose your job. I just want you to realize that what you're doing with Rose is wrong."

"I don't care if it's wrong. To me, it feels right."

"Fine," Mrs. Hale snapped. "I won't talk about it anymore. I won't meddle anymore. But I've warned you many times. Don't be surprised when she turns out to be like Tasha!"

The door opened and I almost jumped up in surprise. Mrs. Hale strode past, not even glancing my way, before slamming the door shut behind her. I cringed at the sound.

Dimitri appeared in the doorway. "I guess you heard everything, huh?" he said.

I nodded and quickly blinked a few tears away. Sighing, Dimitri sat down next to me. He looked at me, but I didn't want to look up. I didn't want him to see the tears in my eyes.

"Maybe she's right," I said in a small voice. "Maybe you should break up with me."

"What?" Dimitri said and he shook his head. "Why would I break up with you?"

"I don't want you to get in trouble because of me," I responded.

"That's not going to happen, Roza." When I didn't say anything, he took my hand in his. "Hey, look at me," he said softly as he put his fingers under my chin and tilted my face. "I won't get in trouble. Neither will you. Don't listen to Sonya. She doesn't understand. And it's not her business, anyway."

"But-"

"I love you, Roza. I don't want to lose you," he whispered, giving me a desperate look. "Why didn't you tell me about what Sonya has said to you?"

"Because I didn't want you to fight with her about me," I answered, sniffling.

"Roza… You need to tell me these things. I don't want her to talk to you like that. She has no right," he said, pushing a strand of hair behind my ear. "Promise me you'll tell me next time she does something like that again?"

I nodded, wiping at my eyes. "I promise. I'm sorry. I just didn't want to make things worse."

"Shh, it's okay." Dimitri pulled me into his lap and wrapped his arms around me, rubbing my back soothingly with one of his hands. I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my face in his chest. His lips brushed against my ear and he told me over and over again how much he loved me.

I looked up at him and gave him a small smile. "You missed a button."

"Hmm?" he said absentmindedly before looking down. "Oh."

As I started to unbutton his shirt, Dimitri watched, his arms still wrapped around me.

"There," I said when I'd finished buttoning up his shirt again. "That's better."

Dimitri leaned in for a kiss. "Thank you, Roza."

It was quiet for a while and I pondered if I should ask Dimitri about the woman Mrs. Hale had mentioned several times. He'd been pretty mad about that, though, so I didn't know if it was a good idea, but I really wanted to know more about her.

"So, um, I couldn't help but hear you talk about this woman…Tasha…" I said hesitantly. "Who is she?" When I saw the look on his face, I quickly added: "If you don't want to talk about her, that's fine. I was just-"

"No, it's fine," Dimitri interrupted me gently. "Tasha is my ex-girlfriend. I met her when I first moved here."

"Oh." I'd already figured that Tasha had been his girlfriend, but I wondered what she had done to him. "Why did you break up with her?"

"She cheated on me," he said. "With a friend of mine."

"Oh." I bit my lip. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

"No, it's okay," Dimitri said, giving me a small smile.

"So…how did you find out?" I asked.

"Well, we'd just moved in together and after a while I started to get suspicious. Sometimes she would go out at night. Alone. And one time I saw her flirting with my friend. So I asked her if something was going on and she assured me there wasn't anything going on…and I believed her, because I loved her." He sighed. "But then, one day, I caught them in our bed."

I stared at him, shocked. "Oh my God," I whispered.

"I left and came back later that day to pick up my things. He'd already left, but she was still there and told me it had been a mistake, that it would never happen again." He shook his head slightly. "But no matter what she said, I couldn't forgive her for sleeping with my friend."

I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him tight. "I'm really sorry, Dimitri," I said softly. "You didn't deserve that."

"It's fine, Roza. I was angry and hurt at first…but I'm over it." He looked up at me and gave me a small smile. "And I'm kind of glad that it happened, because otherwise I might have never met you."

I smiled.

His smile disappeared and he said, his voice soft, "I'm really sorry about last night, Roza. But when I saw Adrian kissing you… It just reminded me of what happened with Tasha and for a moment I thought it was happening again. Only this time I felt ten times worse." He sighed and looked at me, pained. "I love you more than I ever loved Tasha and I can't bear the thought of losing you."

"You won't lose me, comrade," I said, kissing him softly. "I love you and I would never do something like that to you. No matter what your sister says, I would _never_ do that to you."

"I know that," he responded, smiling.

"And if I ever see the bitch who hurt you, I'll kick her ass," I said.

"That's not necessary," Dimitri said, but he smiled reluctantly. "I don't care about her anymore. She's my past. You are my future," he said, his smile growing wider.

I blushed and averted my eyes. Holding my face in his hands, Dimitri pulled me in for a kiss. A kiss that said, 'I'll never let you go'.

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**Long chapter! I hope you liked it and I hope you can understand why Dimitri was so upset. Anyway, next chapter Eddie and Rose are going to have a talk. Hopefully, it will go well :)**

**Have a nice day/evening! **


	22. Chapter 22

**Thank you for your reviews :) **

**For the people who are worrying that Tasha cheated on Dimitri with Ivan: It's not Ivan, but just a random friend.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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**CHAPTER 22**

**RPOV**

Absentmindedly, I flipped through one of my magazines as I talked to Dimitri over the phone. Yesterday, we'd spent the whole day together, but I already missed him. I was happy to hear his voice again, even though I'd heard and seen him less than a day ago. We talked for over an hour until I suddenly heard someone clearing their throat. Startled, I looked up and saw Eddie standing in the doorway of my bedroom. Dimitri heard me gasp and immediately asked what was wrong.

"I got to go," I said quickly before disconnecting. "Talk to you later."

I hoped Dimitri wouldn't be mad about hanging up on him like this, without saying goodbye or explaining why I had to leave so abruptly.

"Sorry," Eddie said. He sounded a little off. "Didn't mean to interrupt. Your mom said you were in your room so…"

"No problem," I said, giving him a smile. "Why are you here?"

"Were you talking to _him_?" Eddie asked, ignoring my question.

I frowned. "Who?"

Eddie closed the door behind him and crossed his arms, giving me a stern look. "You know who."

"No, I don't." I sighed. "Eddie, what's going-"

"I know," Eddie interrupted. "I know about you and Mr. Belikov."

I stared at him, shocked. "You…you know?"

Eddie nodded.

"H-how?" I stammered.

"I followed you when you left the dance and I heard you talking with Lissa," Eddie replied. "About Mr. Belikov and how he saw Adrian kissing you."

I swallowed heavily. "Eddie, I-"

"Just tell me the truth, Rose. Are you dating Mr. Belikov?"

Sighing, I nodded.

He stared at me. "How could you? He's a teacher!"

"I know that," I said.

"Then why are you doing this?" Eddie exclaimed.

"Please don't yell," I pleaded. "My mom is here. She can't know."

"She should," Eddie said angrily. "You're playing a dangerous game, Rose."

"I'm not playing any games! I love Dimitri."

"How could you love him? You barely know him!" Eddie countered.

"That's not true," I argued. "I know him better than you think I do."

"Well, explain me then," Eddie said, sitting down on the edge of my bed. "And why does Adrian know about this? I get why you'd tell Lissa, but Adrian?" A look of hurt flashed across his face. "I thought we were friends. I thought you trusted me, too."

"You are my friend and I trust you, Eddie," I said. "I just couldn't tell you – or anyone. Adrian found out and I have no idea how. And Lissa didn't know it for a very long time, either. I told her recently."

"And why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I know how you were going to react," I said, "and there are already too many people who know."

"Who else knows?" Eddie asked.

I counted on my fingers. "Lissa, Adrian, Dimitri's sister – Mrs. Hale – and you."

"Wait – Mrs. Hale is Dimitri's sister?" Eddie said, surprised.

I nodded. "I didn't know either until Dimitri told me."

"How long has this been going on? How long have you been together with Mr. Belikov?"

"A while," I said evasively.

Eddie arched an eyebrow and waited for an explanation.

I sighed. "Well, we got together a couple of months ago."

His eyes almost bugged out of his head. "For that long?"

"Yes."

"But how did it start?"

I bit my lip. "It started that one night at the café. When Jesse showed up and I ran outside. Dimitri walked by and he saw me crying. We talked and…" I shrugged. "A few days later, Jesse showed up at school. You'd already left. Jesse was more persistent than other days and he didn't want to leave. But then Dimitri came and helped me out. That's how things really started, actually. We started to talk…not just about Jesse, but other stuff and well… I fell in love with him."

Shaking his head slightly, he stared at me, bewildered. "So all those times you said you needed to ask Mr. Belikov a question about our homework you were just staying behind to talk to him?"

I nodded.

"Why didn't you tell me that Jesse's still bothering you?" Eddie said, almost outraged. "I could've helped you! You didn't need to go to Belikov. I could've protected you."

"I didn't want to bother you with it and I didn't really want to tell you Jesse was still a problem," I admitted. "It was easier to tell Dimitri, because he'd already seen how Jesse really was."

"What do you mean?" Eddie asked, frowning.

"Well…" I said hesitantly. "Sometimes he would hurt me. Nothing much," I added quickly when I saw the look of horror on Eddie's face. "I guess sometimes he just lost control. I don't think he meant to hurt me. And nothing serious happened. Dimitri was there to protect me."

"I can't believe this!" Eddie exclaimed, jumping up. "Jesse was hurting you and you didn't want to tell _me_? Your best friend?"

"I'm sorry," I said softly. "I didn't want you to think I was weak. I felt ashamed."

"Rose, you didn't need to feel ashamed!" Eddie said. "You should've just told me. I wouldn't think you're weak. I know you're not."

"But it's okay now. Jesse's not a problem anymore," I said. "Dimitri took care of it."

"Really? Then why was he at the dance?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. He was there with Camille. He didn't try to talk to me once."

Eddie sighed and sat back down. "I don't know what to think about this, Rose. You and Belikov…" He shook his head. "I'd never expected this. Though I should've known, really. The signs were all there."

"I'm sorry you had to find out like this," I said.

"You said you love him… Does he love you too?"

I nodded and smiled. "Yes, he does."

"Are you sure about that?" Eddie asked. "Maybe he's just using you."

"He isn't!"

Eddie looked at me, doubtful. "I don't know, Rose. Maybe he says he loves you to get his way with you. I hope you haven't been meeting him outside of school."

"Dimitri isn't like that!" I said, getting angry. "He would _never_ do something like that. You don't know him like I do, Eddie."

"That might be true," Eddie said calmly, "but who says he isn't pretending to be someone else when he's around you? What if…" He sighed and continued hesitantly, "What if he's just waiting until you give in to him and then when he's done with you, he dumps you."

"Oh my God!" I cried. "Do you honestly think Dimitri's like that? You really think he would use me for sex and then dump me?"

"I'm not saying this to hurt you, Rose," Eddie said, "but aren't you being a little naive?"

"I'm not!" I said, working hard to keep my voice down. "Do you think Dimitri would be upset about Adrian kissing me if he didn't care about me? And for your information, we had sex and guess what, he didn't dump me!" I regretted telling him the second the words flew out of my mouth.

Eddie shot up, shocked and angry. "You had sex with Mr. Belikov? Rose, are you crazy?"

"Keep your voice down!"

Eddie looked furious. "Please don't tell me you slept with him because you were trying to make things right after what happened with Adrian!"

"No, of course not!" I was shaking with fury. "I slept with him because I love him. And that was not the first time, you know!" Crap. I'd said another thing I shouldn't have. _Well done, Rose._

"God, Rose! How could you do that?" Eddie almost yelled.

Tears filled my eyes. "I love Dimitri and he loves me too! I know he does. Why can't you understand? I'm your friend! You should support me."

"I can't support you with this," Eddie responded. "At first I thought it was just an infatuation or something like that… that it wasn't anything serious, but you're telling me now that you actually had sex with him? He's our teacher!"

"Does that really matter?"

"Yes!"

"Why are you so mad at me? Why are you being like this?" I exclaimed.

"I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at _him_. He should've never gone this far with you. Even if he loves you! He's the adult. He should know better. He should've stayed professional! But instead, he just-"

"Eddie, please," I begged. "Don't be like this. You're my best friend. I understand you're upset, but please don't tell anyone. No matter how you feel about this, no matter how you think about Dimitri right now, he doesn't deserve to get fired. He's a good person."

"He might be a good person," Eddie said, "but he shouldn't have gotten involved with you. I'm thankful that he helped you with Jesse, but supporting your relationship with him… I can't do that. I don't think it's right. I'm sorry."

And with that, he turned around and left. A few moments later, the front door slammed shut. I hid my face in my hands as the tears rolled down my cheeks. I didn't understand why he was so upset that I hadn't told him if this was the way he thought about Dimitri and me.

Suddenly, I heard a knock on my door, followed by my mother's voice, "Rose, is everything okay?"

I quickly wiped the tears from my face. Giving her a weak smile, I said, "Yeah, sure."

She looked at me, uncertain. "Did you have a fight with Eddie?" she asked hesitantly.

"Kind of," I admitted. "But it'll be okay."

"Okay. If you want to talk… I'm right here," she said, giving me a small smile.

"Thanks, Mom, but it's okay."

She nodded and left me alone. I tried calling Eddie later that night, but he didn't pick up the phone. On Monday morning he didn't walk to school with me. I felt bad about it and I didn't want to lose Eddie as my friend, but what was I supposed to do?

I'd told Lissa about my talk with Eddie and now she was trying to cheer me up, but it wasn't helping much. She told me Eddie just needed some time, but I didn't know if that was true. He'd been really upset yesterday and he was pretty much convinced that it was wrong for Dimitri and me to be together.

"Little girl, there you are!" Adrian came running toward me. "I've been trying to call you all weekend. Why-"

"I didn't really feel like talking to you," I said curtly.

He looked at me, sad. "Please, Rose. Can I just talk to you for two minutes? In private?"

I sighed and then nodded. "Fine."

I looked over at Lissa.

"I need to go to Christian anyway," she said shrugging. "See you guys later."

She left and I turned to Adrian again. "What do you have to say?"

"I just wanted to apologize," Adrian said. "I'm really sorry about what happened. I didn't mean to…kiss you. Well, I wanted to, but… I didn't do it because Belikov was there. I just..." He sighed, clearly frustrated. "It was a stupid thing to do, because I know how you feel about him." A look of regret crossed his face as he said, "I'm sorry. It won't happen again, Rose. I hope we can still be friends."

He looked really sincere so I gave in. Besides, Adrian was my friend and I already might've lost a dear friend. I didn't want to lose another one.

"Okay," I said at last. "I accept your apology and we can still be friends. I hope something like this never happens again, because I like you as my friend and I don't want to lose you."

He gave me a small smile. "Understood, little girl."

He was about to turn around and leave, but I grabbed his arm. "Adrian… It's not because I don't like you that way that I don't want you to be happy. I really do want you to be happy. There are a lot of pretty girls out here who would love to go out with you. Maybe you should give one of them a chance?"

"Maybe," he said.

I was about to say something else, but then a voice over the intercom called my name to come down to the office. I frowned. What had I done wrong?

Adrian looked at me, confused. "Why do you have to go to the office?"

Shrugging, I said, "I don't know. I swear, I didn't do anything wrong. I haven't been in fights lately. I haven't been calling my teachers names." I sighed. "Maybe it's a mistake. I'd better go, though."

"Good luck," Adrian said.

"Thanks."

I left and went to the principal's office. I knocked on the door and waited until I heard Mr. Lazar say, "Come in."

I opened the door and barely held back a gasp. Sitting across from Mr. Lazar, was Dimitri and he was just as surprised to see me here as I was to see him.

"Ah, Ms. Hathaway, please sit down," Mr. Lazar said, giving me a small smile.

I swallowed heavily before closing the door behind me and sitting down. I didn't dare to look at Dimitri, who was now looking straight ahead. Taking a deep breath, I waited for all hell to break loose. Because that would surely happen. That's why we were here. Our secret was out.

I'd feared the day this would happen and there was no way to escape this now. I only hoped we could lie our way out, but I doubted it.

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**The talk with Eddie didn't go very well. Do you think he'll come around? Rose and Dimitri are again in trouble and now it's pretty serious... **

**Have a nice day and please leave a review on your way out ;)**

**P.S. What do you think of the new VA cast members? We finally have our Mason, Mia, Jesse and Sonya! I'm so excited!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Thank you very much for all the reviews! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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**CHAPTER 23**

**RPOV**

Mr. Lazar rested his hands on his desk and linked his fingers together, giving me a very serious look. "Do you know why you are here, Ms. Hathaway?"

I shook my head, my mouth too dry to say something.

"Well, I got this anonymous tip that there's something going on between one of the teachers and his student," Mr. Lazar started.

I shifted nervously in my seat as my heart started to beat faster. My palms were sweaty. I glanced over at Dimitri, who looked very calm and collected. I didn't get how he could still look so calm! I mean, it was so obvious we were busted.

"This person told me he heard a conversation between the two of you at the dance last Friday night."

Dimitri cleared his throat. "Did this person mention our names or was it a guess?"

"He mentioned your names," Mr. Lazar answered.

So it was a he… I tried to come up with someone who would sell us out, but I was so nervous right now I couldn't think straight.

"He said he heard you fighting. He said something about you" – he looked over at Dimitri – "being angry at Rose for kissing another boy."

When neither of us said something, Mr. Lazar continued, "I have to admit, I was shocked when I heard that it was possible for one of my teachers to have a relationship with his student. Especially when I heard your name, Dimitri." He looked at Dimitri again. "I've never had any problems with you and I've never heard any complaints. You're an excellent teacher so I find this very hard to believe."

Mr. Lazar fixed his gaze on me. "And you, Rose…" He sighed. "You haven't been very easy in the past, but I think that being in a relationship with one of your teachers is going a little bit too far – even for you." He smiled reluctantly, but it disappeared quickly and he looked severe again. "So, I'm hoping there's a reasonable explanation for this." He looked at us expectantly.

Dimitri shifted in his seat and cleared his throat again. I could see from the look on his face he was going to come clean. Because he thought there was no way out. But I couldn't let him do it. I couldn't let him throw his future away because of me.

"Well, to be honest," Dimitri said at last, "it's true that-"

"It's a misunderstanding!" I blurted out. "I mean, it's true that Mr. Belikov was angry at me the night of the dance, but not for the reasons this guy told you."

Mr. Lazar and Dimitri both looked at me, stunned. After a few moments, Mr. Lazar said, "Go on."

I glanced at Dimitri, who was still looking at me. "Um…" I cleared my throat. "Mr. Belikov was angry at me because…" I looked around nervously. "Because I was making out with a boy in the janitor's closet. He caught us and well... things were kind of getting hot and heavy." I flushed, even though I knew this hadn't really happened. "My date dashed out before Mr. Belikov could stop him, but I wasn't as quick as him." I took a deep breath and continued, "So yeah…that's why Mr. Belikov had gotten angry. Because I was, um, being inappropriate with my date in the closet. But you know me," I said, laughing nervously. "You said it yourself, I'm not easy and I always cause trouble."

Dimitri's face stayed impassive, like this wasn't the first time he'd heard this story. I had to give it to him, he was very good at hiding his surprise.

Mr. Lazar let out a deep sigh and said, "What's the name of your date?"

"Why…why do you want to know? Sir?" I added hastily.

"So I can check if this is true," he responded.

I racked my brain, trying to figure out who knew about Dimitri and me and who would help us out. "Adrian Ivashkov," I said finally. He had been my date – enough people could confirm this – and since he was the one who'd caused all this trouble by kissing me, he now could do us a favor and help us out.

"Thank you. I'll ask Mr. Ivashkov about this," Mr. Lazar said. "Do you have something to add? Maybe you, Dimitri?"

"No, Sir. Rose told it just like it happened."

Mr. Lazar looked relieved. "Good. I'm glad this is sorted out. Thank you for your co-operation. That was all," he added with a small smile.

I started to get up, but Dimitri remained seated and said, "If I may ask…what has your source heard that made him think Rose and I…um…are having a relationship?"

Mr. Lazar shrugged. "He didn't give any details. He just said that you were angry at Ms. Hathaway for kissing with a boy – Mr. Ivashkov, apparently. Whoever gave me the tip, has misunderstood it. Or maybe it was a prank." His look darkened. "If it was his idea of a prank, then it wasn't a funny one," he muttered, more to himself than to us.

"So, who's this guy who gave you the tip?" I asked.

"Like I said, it was an _anonymou_s tip, Ms. Hathaway," Mr. Lazar responded.

"Oh. Right," I mumbled, feeling stupid. I should listen more carefully next time before asking stupid questions.

"If there are no further questions, I think it's best if you return to your classes, Ms. Hathaway," he said. "Dimitri, if you could stay here for a moment. I'd like to ask you something else."

I quickly left his office and closed the door behind me, letting out a deep breath. Whew. That was close! If I hadn't come up with something, Dimitri's life would've been ruined. But we had to be very careful now. Mr. Lazar might believe us, but that didn't mean he wouldn't keep an eye on us.

Instead of going to class, I lingered for Dimitri. He came out ten minutes later and saw me standing a couple of feet away. I walked into an empty classroom and after checking if nobody was around, he followed me inside and closed the door.

"God, Roza, you could've gotten in trouble for telling Lazar you were making out with Adrian in a janitor's closet," Dimitri said.

"It's better than telling him we're in a relationship – like you wanted to do," I said, giving him a pointed look. "Are you crazy?"

"Well, I didn't think we could lie our way out it," he said. "But apparently _you_ could. How could you come up with a lie so fast?"

I shrugged. "What else was I supposed to do? You were about to tell the truth and ruin your life so I had to say something."

"I'm not complaining," he said. He smiled, but it disappeared quickly. "I only wished it didn't involve Adrian," he added darkly.

"Adrian was the obvious choice," I responded. "He was my date and he has something to make up to us anyway. When Lazar questions him, he'll lie for us."

"Are you sure?" Dimitri questioned. "If he really wants to be with you, then this is his way to-"

"He apologized over and over again this morning. He was really sorry," I said. "He'll help us."

Dimitri looked doubtful. "Someone sold us out, Rose. And it was a _him_. Adrian is in love with you. He has reasons enough to tell Lazar about us."

I sighed. "Adrian wouldn't do that, Dimitri. He knew from the beginning about us. Why wait until now?"

"Because he's probably angry you didn't want to kiss him at the dance."

"Adrian isn't a revenge type of guy," I mused. "It must be someone else."

"Well, who else knows about us? Lazar was clearly talking about a guy so it can't be my sister."

"It can't be Lissa either."

"You said Jesse was at the party," Dimitri said after a few moments of silence. "Do you think he heard us?"

I shook my head. "No, he'd already left, I think. We'd kept an eye on him all night. He'd left after a while and after fifteen minutes or so he still wasn't back. And he didn't try to speak to me all night. Whenever I saw him, he was with Camille." He was looking a couple of times at me, though. But he never tried to come over to me. So, there was no real reason to think it was him, right?"Besides, his approach is a little more…direct, remember?"

Jesse wasn't someone who could keep calm. When he finds out something that angers him, he would react at that moment. He wouldn't wait until later, when he'd cooled off.

Dimitri sighed. "If it's not him and not Adrian, then I really don't know who could've told. It could be anyone. It's going to be hard to find out who's heard us."

I bit my lip, dreading to say this. I didn't even want to think about this option. "Well…I can think of someone else, but it's very hard to believe he would do this to me."

"Who are you talking about?" he asked frowning.

"Eddie," I said.

Dimitri's eyes widened in surprise. "Eddie?"

I nodded. "Yes. I was going to tell you…" I sighed. "He knows. He followed me when I left the gym to find you…and when you'd left, I was talking to Lissa and he heard our conversation. Yesterday, he came to my house and…well, let's just say that he was not happy."

"Great," Dimitri muttered. "This is just great."

"I'm sorry, Dimitri. I-"

His face softened and he put his hand against my cheek. "It's not your fault, Roza. I know that."

I sighed. "It's hard to believe that Eddie would do this. I know he's mad right now, but he would never do this to me." Tears sprung in my eyes. "He's my best friend. He wouldn't…" I choked on my words and hid my face in my hands. "This is all messed up."

"Shh, Roza. Calm down," Dimitri said softly as he wrapped his arms around me. "We're not certain yet it's him. You should talk to him and ask him about it."

"I don't think he wants to talk to me," I said in a muffled voice. "He was so angry yesterday."

"You have to try, Roza," he said, his lips in my hair. "We have to know if it's him."

"He probably won't tell me if he's the one who sold us out," I mumbled.

"Please just try, Roza."

"Okay," I whispered.

Dimitri pulled me closer against him and kissed my hair. "You'd better go back to class now. We'll talk later." I nodded and stepped out of his embrace. I wanted to leave, but he grabbed my wrist. "Don't forget to talk to Eddie."

"I'll talk to him," I promised.

Dimitri nodded and let me go. Giving him a small smile, I turned around and left.

It wasn't until the afternoon when I got a chance to talk to Eddie. He'd been avoiding me all morning, but after lunch I found him talking to some guys. I didn't really know any of them, but that didn't matter. I approached him, knowing he couldn't run away from me now. Not when there were others with him.

"I need to talk to you," I said, walking up to him.

Reluctantly, he looked at me. "About what?"

I glared at him. "I'll tell you in a minute. When we're alone," I added, glancing at the other guys.

They mumbled something to Eddie and left.

"What do you want?" Eddie asked, his voice harsh.

I tried not to show how much his behavior towards me was hurting me. "Someone ratted Dimitri and me out," I hissed. "We had to go to Lazar's office this morning! We're lucky he believed us."

"So?" he said.

"So?" I repeated, raising my eyebrows. "The only person I can think of right now who would sell us out, is you."

Eddie stared at me, speechless. "Me? You think I told Lazar about Belikov and you?"

"Yes," I said. It hurt me to say this, but right now I couldn't come up with someone else who would do this. "Everything was alright last week, but you found out a few days ago and yesterday you were beyond pissed at me… And suddenly Lazar got this anonymous tip that there might be something more between Dimitri and me. I don't think that's a coincidence. Do you?"

Suddenly, Eddie looked very angry. "I didn't rat you out! I wouldn't do that!" he said, outraged.

"Are you sure about that? Because you really hated the idea of Dimitri and me being together."

"I never said I hated it. I just think it's-"

"It doesn't matter what you think about us," I interrupted him. "Did you tell Lazar or not?"

"No! I can't believe you think I sold you out," he said. Shaking his head, he pushed past me and left.

"Well, that went well," I muttered to myself.

Sighing, I went back to Lissa. Hopefully, tomorrow's conversation would go better, because I wasn't going to give up yet.

**DPOV**

"He said he didn't do it."

"You believe him?" I asked through the phone as I walked up the stairs to my apartment.

"I don't know." Roza was silent for a few moments. "He got pretty mad when I asked him if he'd told Lazar."

"How did you ask him? Were you polite or…?"

"Well, I kind of accused him of doing it," she admitted.

I groaned. "Roza."

"I'm sorry," she said. "He was pissing me off. He seemed so careless when I told him that we had to go to Lazar's office." She sighed. "I'll talk to him again tomorrow."

"Okay. And be nice, Roza," I added quickly. "Don't accuse him of anything yet. We don't know for sure he's done it."

"I know, I know." I could practically see her rolling her eyes. "I'll be nicer. But Eddie could be nicer too, you know," she muttered.

I sighed. "I'm sorry, Roza. I wish I could do something to make things better between you and Eddie."

"It's okay, Dimitri. It's not your fault that he's acting like a jerk."

"I know that, but-" I heard a rustle and looked up. My eyes widened in shock when I saw who was sitting in front of my door. She gave me a tentative smile and got up. "Roza, I need to go. I'll call you back later tonight, okay?"

"Okay. Love you, comrade."

"Love you too, milaya," I murmured before disconnecting. My mood darkened immediately as I looked again at the woman standing at my door. I strode toward her and came to a stop a few feet away from her.

"What are you doing here?" I asked not so friendly.

She raised her eyebrow. "Do you greet people always like this?"

I decided to ignore this and repeated my question. "What are you doing here, Tasha?" She just looked at me and I sighed. "You left a year ago and now you suddenly turn up at my doorstep. Why?"

"I didn't leave," she countered. "_You_ did."

"You didn't leave me much of a choice, did you?" I said gruffly.

She sighed. "How many times do I have to tell you how sorry I am about what happened?"

"Well, from what I've heard, you weren't that sorry since you'd left almost immediately after we'd broken up to travel around the world with Brad."

"Look, it was a mistake, Dimka!" she said, giving me puppy dog eyes. I rolled my eyes. "It was a mistake to cheat on you with Brad and it was a mistake to leave with him! I'm really sorry."

"I'm not interested in your apologies," I said flatly. "Just go away."

Tasha cried out in frustration. "Why are you so stubborn?!" I walked past her and unlocked my door. I wanted to go inside, but she grabbed my arm. "Dimka, I know you still have feelings for me."

I pulled my arm away from her grasp. "I couldn't care less about you, Tasha."

I went inside and was about to close the door, but she put her hand against the door and pushed it open. She was a real pain in the ass. I couldn't believe I'd ever loved this woman.

I sighed, irritated. "I hope you're not going to make a habit of dropping by unexpectedly, because I really don't want to see you anymore."

"Well, you're going to have to get used to it," she snapped, "because you'll see a lot of me the next few weeks."

"What?"

"I'm going to replace some teacher at your school for a while."

"What? Who?" I asked, surprised.

"Some woman named Kirova. She's got a hernia."

I hadn't known about this. It must've happened recently, because I'd seen Kirova last week. To be honest, I didn't mind that Kirova wouldn't be at school the next few weeks, because she was very unpleasant company. But to have her replaced by Tasha... That was ten times worse.

"Can't you go somewhere else? There are teaching jobs enough. Why here?"

"Because this school is closer to my new apartment. And my cousin goes there. That way I can see him more often. And," she added hesitantly, "I was hoping we could be friends again… I mean, it would be nice if we were. And maybe…maybe we could become something more than friends again?"

"I don't think so, Tasha."

"Why not?" she asked.

I looked at her, incredulous. "Are you serious?"

"Well-"

"Look, I don't want anything to do with you," I said honestly, working hard to stay calm. "And I would like for you to leave now – and don't come back."

Before she could respond, I slammed my door shut and locked it. I heard Tasha pounding on my door, telling me to let her in, but I ignored her.

This was perfect. Just perfect. As if Rose and I hadn't enough problems already, I now had to tell her my ex-girlfriend was going to be her new English teacher. She was already stressed out because Eddie might've sold us out and if she would hear this… I was sure she wouldn't take it well. But I had to tell her. I couldn't keep this from her.

I sighed, wishing Tasha hadn't come back. For the first time, I wished she'd just stayed with Brad, because now she would only complicate my life even more and to be honest, I thought my life was already complicated enough.

* * *

**Their secret is still safe - sort of! At least, Mr. Lazar believes them. Do you think Eddie's the one who sold them out? Or Jesse? Or maybe someone else? And now Tasha's back, too. How will Rose react when she hears Tasha is going to be her new English teacher? **

**Please review and let me know what you think of the chapter ;)**

**Have a nice day/evening! :)**


	24. Chapter 24

**Thank you for all the reviews! :)**

**I heard that all stories with at least one lemon scene will be deleted, so I don't think this story won't be on fanfiction anymore after the 4th of june and neither will be my other story. I hope this is not true, because I've put a lot of effort and time in my stories. But anyway, we'll see. Until that day, I'll keep posting chapters.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 24**

**RPOV**

The next day I approached Eddie again. Dimitri had said being nice would be more effective so this time I tried to stay polite and remember that Eddie was my friend.

"Hey Eddie," I said, giving him a small smile.

He closed his locker and turned to me, but didn't say anything. He just looked at me.

"Look, I'm sorry about yesterday. I shouldn't have reacted that way." When he didn't respond, I looked at him pleadingly. "I'm really sorry, Eddie. I didn't mean to accuse you. I was just…upset and I want to know who's told Lazar about Dimitri and me. I need to know it wasn't you, Eddie. I don't think I can handle it if it would be you…"

His face softened a little. "Rose, I wouldn't do that. I know I said I didn't like you being with Belikov, but I wouldn't want you to get in trouble – I mean, in more trouble than you already are," he added, giving me a disapproving look. "So, no, I didn't go to Lazar."

I sighed in relief. "Okay, thank you, Eddie."

I was about to turn away, but Eddie grabbed my wrist. "Wait."

Surprised, I looked up at him. "What?"

"Jesse was there, too, that night," he said. "In the hallway. I don't know if he heard the things I heard. I don't think so. I only saw him when you were already gone."

I bit my lip. "So he might have heard everything?"

"To be honest, I don't think he has," Eddie said. "I think he would've been more angry if he found out you were seeing someone and he looked very calm when he talked to me. Do you remember how pissed he got every time you hung out with me? And I was just your friend. So my guess is he didn't hear," he concluded.

"Thanks for telling me," I said. It would have been nice, though, if he'd told me sooner. "Did you see anyone else that night?"

He shook his head. "No, just Jesse."

I sighed. "I don't know how I'm going to figure out who's sold us out. If it's not you and not Jesse…then I really don't know. I didn't see anyone that night and neither did you – except for Jesse. But like you said… If Jesse had heard, he would've come after me immediately. He can't control his anger."

"I know," Eddie said, "but I thought you should know it anyway."

Giving me a small nod, he walked away.

"Hey."

Startled, I turned around and saw Adrian. "God, Adrian! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"Sorry," he said, grinning sheepishly. "Just wanted to tell you that Lazar called me into his office."

"And?" I asked, worried. "What did you tell him?"

"I confirmed what you told him. That we were making out in a janitor's closet and that I ran off when Belikov found us."

"He believed you?"

He smirked. "What do you think? Of course he believed me."

I smiled. "Thank you, Adrian."

"Don't worry about it," he said, waving it away. He started to leave. "I have to go. Don't want to be late for class. See you later, little girl."

"Bye, Adrian."

Relieved, I went to my own locker to take my English book and then left for class. I noticed Christian sitting in the corner, a stormy look on his face. I walked up to him, wondering what was going on with him.

"Hey, are you alright?" I asked, sitting down next to him.

He shrugged. "I'm fine."

"Then why are you looking so angry?" I asked. "Did you have a fight with Liss?"

He shook his head. "No, everything's alright between us."

"Then what's your problem?"

"_That_ is my problem," he said, nodding at something in front of the class room.

I followed his gaze and my eyes went wide in surprise. Instead of Kirova, there stood a young, pretty woman with black hair and piercing blue eyes behind the desk. She kind of reminded me of someone. I looked at Christian again and then back at the woman.

"Are you related to her?" I gasped.

Christian grumbled something I didn't understand.

"What?" I said.

"Yes," Christian said. "She's my cousin."

"What is she doing here?"

"Replacing Kirova. She's got a hernia."

"Really? That's too bad," I said smirking. "I don't get why you're so grumpy, Christian. Everyone's better than Kirova."

"I know," he said, "but I don't like it that my cousin is my teacher. Now I have to treat her with respect."

I laughed. "You don't like your cousin?"

He shrugged. "She's okay, I guess. A little nosy, though. And she likes to talk a lot."

"She can't be that bad," I said.

"Well, you don't know her like I do," Christian said. "If you did, you would agree with me."

Christian's cousin cleared her throat and everyone fell silent. Smiling, she introduced herself as Natasha Voda. She seemed nice enough. At least, she wasn't glaring at me like Kirova always did.

After class she walked up to Christian.

"Hey," she said smiling brightly. "Aren't you happy to see me?"

"Sure,' Christian said, mustering up a smile for his cousin. "How have you been?"

"Great," she said. "I'm happy to be back!"

"Mom invited you over for dinner tonight," Christian said.

"Oh, I'd love to come."

"Great. I'll tell her."

Smiling, Ms. Voda looked over at me. "And who's your friend?"

"That's Rose," Christian said.

"Nice to meet you, Rose," she said, sticking out her hand. "Are you his girlfriend maybe? I heard from the family he's seeing someone."

I made a face. Glancing over at Christian, I saw that he was looking horrified.

"No, I'm not his girlfriend," I said quickly. "Lissa Dragomir is his girlfriend. I'm just a friend."

"Oh," she said. Looking over at Christian again, she said, "Oh, you really should introduce me to her, Christian."

"I'll introduce you tonight," he responded. "She'll also be there for dinner."

She smiled. "Good."

Christian and I left the classroom and went to the cafeteria for lunch. Lissa was already there with Mia and Mason. Not long after we'd joined them, Eddie and Jill sat down at our table, too. Eddie didn't say much and left with Jill as soon as they were done with their lunch. Lissa gave me a sympathetic look before turning to Christian again.

I texted Dimitri to ask if it was okay if I stayed behind after his class so we could talk. He said it was okay. Before his class started, I saw him in the hallway. He was talking to Christian's cousin and he looked agitated. When he saw me looking at him, he went rigid and then he abruptly turned away from Ms. Voda. I frowned, wondering what was up with him.

I lingered after class, which earned me another disapproving look from Eddie. Shaking his head, he left and slammed the door shut behind him.

Dimitri glanced at the closed door. "Is he still mad?"

I nodded. "Yeah, well…sort of." I sighed. "I don't know. I talked to him earlier today and he didn't look so mad…"

"Were you nice to him?" Dimitri asked.

"Yes! I apologized for yesterday and asked him nicely if he's sold us out." I grinned. "Aren't you proud of me now?"

He rolled his eyes, but smiled reluctantly. "And what did he say?"

"He said he didn't sell us out and I…" I hesitated only for a second. "I believe him." I hesitated again, but then decided to tell him. "He's also told me something else."

"What's that?" Dimitri asked.

I told him about what Eddie had said about Jesse being there after we'd had our fight and that it might be possible he'd heard us.

"But if he did hear us, he would've probably cornered me afterwards," I said quickly. "So I don't really think he heard us. Eddie believes the same."

Dimitri sighed. "We can't really know for sure, but let's hope it wasn't him."

"Do you think we'll ever find out who did it?"

"I don't know," he responded. "Even if we find out who it is, we can't do anything about it. I mean, if we tell him to shut up, he'll know for sure something is going on."

"Can't you intimidate him?" I asked. "If you want to, you can be very scary."

Dimitri arched an eyebrow. "Really? You think I'm scary?"

I shrugged. "Sometimes. Remember the time you threw Jesse against the wall? At that moment, you were kind of scary. Not that you could ever scare me," I added smirking.

"I would never want to scare you," he said, almost indignant.

Smiling, I placed my hand on his and laced our fingers together. "I know."

He smiled, too, but then it disappeared. "Roza, I need to tell you something."

Suddenly, the door opened and Dimitri quickly let my hand go. I took a step back and tried to appear nonchalant.

"Hey Dimka, I was wondering if you would want to have lunch with me tomorrow? So we can talk and-"

Ms. Voda fell abruptly silent when she noticed me. "Rose, hi," she said smiling, recovering from the surprise.

"Hi," I said, a little confused. Did she just ask Dimitri out?

"I hope I'm not interrupting something?"

"Actually, we were-" Dimitri started.

"Good," she said, her smile widening. "So, what do you say? Are you free tomorrow?"

She leaned over his desk and practically showed him her cleavage. I was too stunned to say or do something. It didn't matter anyway. I couldn't tell her to stop flirting with my boyfriend, because no one was supposed to know about us. But that didn't mean I didn't want to.

Dimitri looked uncomfortable. "Umm, no… I don't think that's-"

Ms. Voda pouted. "Come on, Dimka!"

What the hell was going on here? That woman knew Dimitri for one day and she was already asking him out? And why did she call him Dimka? I thought only his family called him Dimka – or at least, that's what he'd told me.

"Tasha, no," Dimitri said, his voice harder now.

Wait – what?! Tasha? Did he mean Tasha as in his ex-girlfriend Tasha?

"So could you please leave now? I was helping Rose with her homework," he continued.

"No, that's okay," I said, not really knowing why I said this. I guess I was just upset that Dimitri hadn't told me his ex-girlfriend was back in town and that she was my new English teacher. "I got to go, anyway."

"See, there's no problem," Tasha said. She smiled at me. "Thanks, Rose."

I didn't react. Instead, I picked up my books from my desk and walked toward the door.

"Rose, wait," Dimitri said, getting up from his chair.

"Thanks for your help, Mr. Belikov," I said, mustering up a smile.

Dimitri looked at me pleadingly, but I turned around and left. As I walked toward the main entrance, I tried to calm down. I didn't understand. Why hadn't I known Tasha was back? Why hadn't Dimitri told me?

And now he would see Tasha every day… What if he'd change his mind? What if he would start to feel something for her again? He'd loved her once. It wouldn't be so hard to fall for her again. Right? I could see she was trying to get him back. Would she succeed?

I hated to admit it, but Tasha was a very beautiful woman. Besides that, she was also his age, had a job and probably her own apartment. It would be so much easier if Dimitri was together with her. He wouldn't have to take any risks… How long would it take for her to make him fall in love with her all over again?

_Stop it. He won't fall in love with her again. You're being paranoid._

I was so distracted I hadn't noticed Jill standing at the gate until she tugged my arm and called my name three times.

"Hmm? Oh, hi Jill," I said, finally snapping out of my thoughts. "What's up?"

"Hey," she said, giving me a tentative smile. "How are you?"

"I'm okay," I lied. "You?"

"Fine. I was wondering…" She hesitated, but then started again, "I was wondering if you and Eddie had a fight. He's acting so weird the last few days and whenever I mention you, he gets upset."

"Oh… really? Huh. I don't know." I glanced at my watch. "Sorry, Jill, but I have to leave now. See you tomorrow."

As soon as I got home, I checked my phone and saw that I had a couple of missed calls from Dimitri. I knew I should call him back, but I was still upset that he hadn't told me about Tasha. Besides, I didn't really feel like talking about this over the phone. I wanted to talk about this in person so he would just have to wait until tomorrow. At least, if I'd calmed down by then.

**DPOV**

Tasha kept following me around the school, asking me to have lunch with her. I'd declined every time and tried to ignore her as much as I could. I still needed to talk to Roza. I'd tried calling her last night several times, but she never picked up the phone. I knew she was upset. I'd seen the look on her face yesterday when she realized her new English teacher was my ex-girlfriend. If Tasha had waited ten more minutes to barge in, I would've had a chance to tell Rose. But no… Tasha had to come in just when I was about to tell Rose.

It was midday now and I was having lunch with my colleagues, including Tasha. Right now, she was talking to Sonya. I contemplated on leaving, now that she was distracted.

Carefully, I got up from my seat and walked to the door. Tasha was still babbling away. She hadn't even noticed I'd gotten up. Quietly, I slipped out of the staffroom and walked away hastily. I hoped she wouldn't notice too soon that I was gone.

I didn't really have a place to be right now, so I just walked around aimlessly. It was better than sitting in the staffroom with Tasha and Sonya. I didn't really get why Sonya would want to talk with Tasha, because she'd never liked Tasha. And now they were suddenly acting like they were friends.

I walked past the lockers and then noticed Rose standing in front of her locker. She was alone. Quickly, I made my way toward her. She didn't see me coming. She was busy looking for something in her locker.

"Roza."

Startled, she jumped up and looked over at me.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," I said.

She didn't say anything.

"Why didn't you call me back?" I asked softly.

"I didn't feel like talking," she responded stiffly.

"Why not? Because of Tasha?"

"You guessed that right," she said, closing her locker.

She started to walk away, but I grabbed her wrist. "Roza, please. I can explain." Looking around, I saw that nobody was around so I pushed Rose into a janitor's closet and closed the door behind me.

"You know, I don't think it's a good idea to be in a janitor's closet with you right now – or with anyone, really," she said dryly. "Lazar is not going to believe me a second-"

"I'll take my chances," I interrupted her. "This can't wait. I need to talk to you. _Now_."

"Fine then," Rose said, crossing her arms. "But tell me this first, why didn't you tell me your ex-girlfriend is back? I didn't really like the way I found out my new English teacher is your ex-girlfriend."

I sighed. "I was about to tell you. I swear, I was going to, but then she came barging in and-" Frustrated, I ran a hand through my hair. "I wasn't trying to keep it a secret, Roza. When she came over to my place two days ago, I-"

Rose gasped and her eyes widened. "She was at your apartment?"

Shit. This wasn't going well. I was just making it worse. "Yes, but-"

"What was she doing there?"

"She'd come over to tell me she would be working here the next few weeks," I said.

Rose raised her eyebrows. "She came over just to tell you that?" she questioned.

I sighed, knowing that I couldn't lie about this. "No," I admitted. "She wants to get back together again." Rose opened her mouth to say something, but I quickly continued, "But I sent her away, Rose. I don't want to get back together with her. I told her that, but she isn't one to just give up. I know what happened yesterday with Tasha has upset you, but you don't have to be. No matter what she says or does, I won't fall for her again. I love _you_, Roza. You have to know that."

"Then why didn't you tell me sooner? Why did you wait this long?"

"I wanted to tell you sooner, but I didn't have any opportunities. I figured telling you over the phone wasn't a good idea. That's why I waited until the end of the day so we could talk…but then Tasha came in and ruined it."

"So she's here to get you back," Rose said. Sighing, she muttered, "Great."

I took a step closer to her. "Roza, you have nothing to worry about. You trust me, right?"

Averting her eyes, she nodded. "I do, but…"

"But what?" I asked, tilting her head so I could look her in the eyes.

She bit her lip. "I don't know. It's just that… I'm afraid that now she's back in your life, you'll choose her. Because…because it would be easier for you, you know. You wouldn't have to hide your feelings for her. And she's your age, has a job and she's very pretty-"

"Oh, Roza," I said, shaking my head.

She frowned. "What?"

"You have to stop worrying, Roza," I said. "Why would I want to get back together with Tasha? She cheated on me. I can't trust her and I don't love her anymore." I brushed a strand of hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. "I don't care if she's my age, if she has a job, if she's pretty… I don't want her. I want _you_, Roza."

"Really? You would pick me over her?"

"Anytime." I leaned in and kissed her softly. Pulling back, I said, "And hey, you are ten times more beautiful than she is." I kissed her again. "You are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

Rose smiled and wrapped her arms around me. "I love you, comrade."

Smiling, I kissed the top of her head and held her close.

"I can't wait until graduation," she said sighing.

"I know," I murmured. I glanced at my watch and sighed. "We should probably leave before someone finds us here. You go first."

"Okay."

She gave me a swift kiss on my cheek before leaving. I leaned against the wall and waited a few minutes. As I waited, I thought about what would happen after graduation. I would finally have a chance to really be with Rose. We wouldn't have to hide our feelings anymore and we wouldn't have to meet in janitor closets, empty classrooms or at my apartment in secret anymore.

I realized that a lot of people would hate the idea of Rose and me being together. Her mom, for example. I couldn't imagine she would like it that her daughter was dating a man seven years her senior – not to mention that he was her former teacher. I was sure she'd object, but for now I didn't want to worry about those things. For now, I just wanted to enjoy being with Rose whenever I had the chance.

Sighing, I glanced at my watch again and decided I could finally leave. Seconds later, the bell rang. I quickly made my way to my classroom. As I walked through the hallway, I saw Rose walking in the opposite direction. She was talking to Lissa, but when I walked past her, she looked up at me and smiled. I smiled back and kept walking, resisting the urge to look again. _Just a month_, I kept telling myself. _Just another month and you won't have to hide anymore. _

I really hoped so.

* * *

**Don't forget, Christian and Tasha are cousins in this story, so that's why Tasha has a different last name. ;)**

**Have a nice day/evening! :)**


	25. Chapter 25

**Thank you all very much for the reviews! :) **

**For all the guests - I can't reply to you in a message, but thank you for your reviews!  
For the Spanish guest - My Spanish isn't that well (actually, it's non-existent), but I managed to figure out what you said, lol. So: thank you! I'm glad you like the story.  
Leonseyluv9798 - I've never heard of that book before so if there are similar things then it's a coincidence. This story is based on a few personal experiences (not everything, though! :p). And thank you. I'm glad you like it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy. **

* * *

**CHAPTER 25**

**RPOV**

"It's so weird Christian's cousin is our teacher now," Lissa said as we walked toward the school exit. She was telling me about last night's dinner party with Christian's family. "But she's nice. I like her."

"Sure," I muttered, not really in the mood to talk about Tasha. I knew she wasn't a threat – Dimitri sure made me realize that today as he'd kept telling me over and over again that he loved me – but I still hated her. I hated her for hurting Dimitri in the past and I hated her for trying to get him back now.

"What's wrong?" Lissa asked.

"Nothing," I said quickly.

"Rose," she said, giving me a stern look, "I've known you long enough to know when something's wrong."

I let out a sigh. "Fine. You're right."

"Will you tell me what's upsetting you?" she asked.

I shrugged. "Nothing's upsetting me. I just get moody when you keep talking about _her_."

"You mean Tasha?"

"Yes," I said, clenching my jaw.

Lissa frowned. "Why?"

"She's Dimitri's ex-girlfriend," I mumbled.

Her eyes widened in shock. "Really?"

I nodded.

"Wow."

"Yeah," I said. "And guess what, she's trying to get him back."

"What?" she exclaimed.

"But he doesn't want her back," I continued. "The only problem is she won't take the hint."

"Wow," Lissa repeated. "It must be…unpleasant for you to be her student now."

I laughed humorlessly. "You could say that, yeah."

"I wonder why Christian didn't tell me Tasha's dated Dimitri," Lissa mused.

"Probably because he didn't know," I said shrugging. I suddenly wondered if Dimitri knew Christian was related to Tasha. If he knew, he would've said something about it, right? "It doesn't really matter. I'm just glad that he doesn't want anything to do with her any – what the fuck?!"

"What? What?" Lissa said, looking around.

"There!" I said, staring at the scene before me.

Lissa gasped and her hand flew to her mouth. "Oh my God! Is that…"

"Yeah! It's them alright," I said, my eyes wide as I kept staring at them, shocked.

Camille was making out with Jesse right in front of everyone at the school gate. A few people stopped to stare, but they didn't pay attention to the onlookers.

"I can't believe this," I exclaimed. "Is she stupid?"

"Since when are they an item?" Lissa asked.

"I don't know. It probably happened at the dance or afterwards," I said, still shocked.

"How does he even know Camille?" Lissa said. "I wondered about that at the dance, too."

"I have no idea."

"Well, they look happy," she remarked.

I groaned. "I thought he'd moved! Why does he keep coming back?"

"Does it really matter? It's obvious he isn't coming back for you anymore."

"Thank God," I muttered. "If I didn't hate Camille, I would've warned her to not date that crazy guy."

"You should still warn her," Lissa said. "Even if you hate her."

I shook my head. "No way. She'll never believe me that he's dangerous. And if she tells Jesse, he's going to come after me again. I don't want that. It took me long enough to get rid of him."

"Okay," Lissa said quietly. "It was just a suggestion."

"Let's go," I mumbled.

We walked past them and as if he'd sensed me, he tore himself away from Camille. He looked at me and slowly, a smile spread across his face. I quickly averted my eyes.

"Creep," I muttered.

Even when I'd passed, I still felt him staring at me. When I dared a peek at him, he was kissing Camille again. Looking away again, I let out a sigh of relief.

I said goodbye to Lissa and walked home. Normally, Eddie would walk with me, but these last few days he'd left for home without me. I tried not to think too much about how much I missed our walks, how much I missed him.

Instead, I thought of Jesse and Camille. I was still in shock they were together now. I'd never known they were friends. Jesse had never mentioned her to me when we were together, but it could be possible they'd met after I'd broken up with him.

But something in the back of my mind told me that something wasn't right. I couldn't figure out what, though. I kept thinking about it all night, but eventually I fell asleep.

The next day I forgot about it completely, because I suddenly had another – a more important thing – to worry about. It happened when Lissa and I were walking toward our lockers in the morning. When I opened mine, I noticed a small piece of paper on top of my books. Frowning, I took it out of my locker and unfolded it. My eyes widened in shock when I read what was written down in block letters. A small gasp escaped my lips as I dropped the small piece of paper on the floor.

"What's wrong?" Lissa asked.

I bent down to pick the piece of paper up. "N-nothing."

"You're lying."

Before I could stop her, she snatched it out of my hands. "Oh my God!" she shrieked.

"Shh!" I said, taking the note back from her.

She stared at me, wide-eyed. "Is this for real?"

I looked at the small note again. I closed my eyes for a moment, hoping the words would disappear. But when I opened my eyes, they were still there.

FORBIDDEN RELATIONSHIPS NEVER END WELL. REMEMBER THAT, ROSE.

Yes, this was real. This was no joke. With trembling hands, I folded the note again and shoved it in my jeans pocket.

"Rose, what are you going to do now?" Lissa asked, her face grave.

"I don't know," I whispered. "I don't know what I'm going to do. I…" Tears filled my eyes. "I can't believe someone would do this."

"Do you think it's the same guy who told Lazar?"

"It has to be," I said, panicked. "It has to be. Who else would do this kind of thing?"

"Well, I didn't do it," Lissa said quickly.

"I know. And Eddie wouldn't do this either. He wouldn't do this to me. No matter how mad he is at me right now, he would never do something like this. Right?" I was nearly in hysterics. "Right?" I repeated when she didn't say anything.

"Calm down. Of course he wouldn't do this," Lissa assured me. "He's your friend."

"I don't know about that," I said softly. "He doesn't want to talk to me anymore."

"He's just hurt you didn't tell him sooner."

I shook my head. "He's angry because I'm in love with Dimitri."

"Well, even if he's angry, I don't think he did it. This isn't something Eddie would do. He isn't that childish."

I sighed. "I know."

"Maybe… Maybe it was Jesse?" Lissa said hesitantly.

"You mean that he wrote the note?" I asked.

She nodded.

"No, he doesn't know this is my locker. Besides, he can't get into this school, because he's not a student. And the only time he was here, was at the school dance."

"You're right. It can't be him," Lissa said. "Plus, he's with Camille now. Why would he still care about who you're with?"

"I know. It doesn't make sense."

The rest of the day I kept thinking about the note. I knew I needed to tell Dimitri, but I didn't think it would be a good idea to meet him in school. What if the person who'd written the note saw us? Besides, I couldn't talk to him after class, because he had a meeting then. But I couldn't wait another day to tell him this. He needed to know as soon as possible.

At last, I decided to go to his place and wait there until he got back. As I walked to his apartment, I called my mom to tell her I'd be home later tonight.

"Why?" she asked. "Is something wrong?"

"No, no. I just have to do an assignment with a classmate," I lied.

"Oh, okay. Let me know if I need to come to pick you up."

"Okay. Thanks," I said.

I disconnected and put my phone away, relieved that she'd believed me. Every so often, I looked over my shoulder to see if someone was following me. I was really starting to get paranoid.

As I waited for Dimitri, I sat down in front of his apartment door and tried to calm down. I'd been worrying and panicking all day and the stress was starting to make me feel sick.

I waited for over an hour. When Dimitri finally arrived, I jumped up from the floor. He looked surprised to see me, but smiled.

"Roza," he said as he approached me. "What are you doing here? I thought you'd be home by now." He bent his head and kissed my cheek.

"I… I need to talk to you, Dimitri. It is urgent."

"Okay," he said, frowning slightly.

He opened the door and I went inside. I immediately started pacing the floor, trying to figure out how I would tell him. He closed the door behind him and turned to me, a worried look on his face.

"Rose, are you okay?"

I stopped pacing and turned to him. Tears filled my eyes as I looked at him and my bottom lip started to quiver.

"Roza?" he said hesitantly.

I couldn't keep it up anymore. The stress was too much. I burst out into tears.

**DPOV**

I didn't know what was happening. One moment she looked fine and the next she was crying.

"Roza," I exclaimed, pulling her into my arms. "What's wrong, milaya? Why are you crying? Did someone hurt you?" She didn't answer. "Roza, please. Tell me what happened."

"I'm sorry," she said sniffling as she looked up at me. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to… I just… I-"

She looked on the verge on crying again.

"Roza, calm down," I said gently. "Everything will be alright. Just take a deep breath."

I took her to the couch and made her sit down. I sat down next to her and wrapped my arm around her waist. Roza took a deep breath and wiped the tears from her face.

"I'm sorry," she repeated.

"It's okay, milaya." I kissed her temple. "Will you tell me what happened?"

Pulling a small piece of paper out of her pocket, she handed it to me. Frowning, I took it from her and unfolded it. My eyes widened in shock as I read the note.

"I found it in my locker this morning," Rose whispered.

I looked up at her. "Please tell me this is a joke."

Slowly, she shook her head. "I'm afraid it's not."

"Do you think it was Eddie?" I asked, knowing this would upset her.

"No!" she exclaimed. "He wouldn't do something like this! He didn't go to Lazar. Then why would he do this? He's not that childish."

I put my hand on her shoulder and tried to calm her down. "I know, Roza. I know. I just wanted to be sure."

She sighed. "Sorry."

"Do you have any idea who it could've been? Have you seen anyone around your locker?"

She shook her head.

"What about Jesse?"

"No, I don't think so. You know he would do things differently if he knew I was in a relationship. Besides, he doesn't go to school here. He doesn't know which locker is mine. He could never pull something like this off."

I sighed. I knew she was right. It couldn't be Jesse. But who could it be? It was probably the guy who'd told Lazar about us. He must know that Lazar believed us instead of him and now he decided to torment us with notes. This was just our luck.

"Do you think…" Rose averted her eyes and cleared her throat. "Do you think it might be better if we just…break up?"

My heart nearly stopped beating, just thinking about it. _No, no. I don't want us to break up._ I knew it would be better if we did break up, but I couldn't do that. I couldn't lose Rose. "Do you want that?" I asked softly.

"No," she whispered, tears brimming her eyes.

I almost sagged in relief. "Then we'll stay together."

"But-"

"I don't want to hear it, Roza," I interrupted her. "I know we should end it if we want him to stop. I know that, but… I can't lose you, Roza. I just can't." How had I become so selfish? Why couldn't I just let her go? "It's only a month left until graduation. We can't give up now." I pulled her closer and kissed her hair. After a few moments, I felt her arms wrap around my waist.

"What if he tells someone else? He already told Lazar – at least, if it's the same person."

"I don't think he will," I said. "He's just messing with us. He's trying to scare us. If he wanted to tell someone else, he would have done it already."

"Okay. Let's hope so."

I pulled her onto my lap, wrapping my arms around her, and kissed her. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine," she said. "Just a little stressed. That's all."

"I'm sorry, milaya," I whispered. "I'm sorry you have to go through this."

"It's okay," she said, burying her face in my neck. "I just don't want to lose you."

"You won't," I murmured. "You won't lose me."

She tilted her head and looked at me, giving me a small smile. I smiled back and pecked her lips. We sat there for a while in silence. When it was time for Rose to go home, we left my apartment and went to my car. I dropped her off at a safe distance from her house.

That night I didn't sleep well. I kept thinking about the note. Was it the same person? Why was he doing this? What did he want? What was he going to do next? So many questions and no answers.

The next day at school I could see how little Roza had slept. I was so worried about her, after I'd seen how she'd broken down at my place yesterday. She had a lot of stress lately and Eddie didn't make things easier for her. He still didn't want to talk to her. I could see how much it hurt Roza. When I saw him walk past her without even glancing at her, I decided I needed to do something about it.

Near the end of the day I saw him standing at his locker. He was alone. I thought this was a great opportunity to talk to him in private so I approached him.

"Eddie, could I talk to you for a second?" I asked.

Eddie turned to me. "Why? I didn't do anything wrong," he said defensively.

"I know," I said. "I just want to talk to you. That's all."

He followed me back to the history classroom. I closed the door behind him and gestured for him to sit down. He declined.

"What do you want to talk about?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"It's about Rose."

"What about her?" he said gruffly.

I sighed. "I would like it if you'd talk to her again. Like you used to."

Eddie eyed me suspiciously. "Why?"

"Because she could really use her friend right now," I answered.

"What do you mean?"

"A lot has happened lately and she's under a lot of stress because of it. It's not really helping her if you won't talk to her."

"Why do you care if I talk to her or not?"

"Because I care about her," I said. "I don't want to see her hurt."

"Do you? Do you really care about her?" Eddie questioned.

"Yes. I love her."

He didn't say anything.

"I know you don't like that we're together and I understand. I really do, Eddie." I sighed. "I didn't mean to fall in love with my student, but it happened and I can't change anything about it. I tried to stay away from her. I tried, but it didn't work."

"Maybe you should've tried harder," Eddie replied flatly.

"Maybe," I agreed. "But when it comes to Rose… She means a lot to me. I can't begin to explain how much she means to me."

He looked at me, uncertain. "How do I know you're telling the truth? Maybe you're just fooling me, just like you fooled Rose."

"I'm not fooling you and I'm definitely not fooling Rose. I'm in love with her. That's the truth. It's your choice to believe me or not." When he kept quiet, I continued, "Do you think I'd risk my career for Rose if I didn't love her?"

"No," Eddie admitted.

"Well, then. There's your answer."

"Even if you love her, I still think it's irresponsible," Eddie said defiantly.

I sighed. "I'm not asking you to approve of our relationship. I'm just asking you to be her friend. She needs you, Eddie. She's sad and she misses you. I hate to see her like this. I know she would feel better if you would just talk to her again."

Eddie looked at me for a very long time, before replying. "Okay," he said at last. " I'll talk to her."

"Thank you," I said. "I really appreciate this."

"Just so you know," Eddie said as he walked to the door. "I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing this for Rose."

I smiled. "Oh, I know."

I didn't know if they'd be friends again like they used to be, but at least he would talk to her again. It was better than nothing.

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**What did you think about the note in the locker? You think it's wise of Dimitri to stay with Rose? Do you think he'll change his mind? And will Eddie do what he's been asked? **

**Leave me a review and let me know what you think ;)**


	26. Chapter 26

**Thank you for all the reviews! A lot of you think Jesse is behind the notes. Unfortunately, you won't find out who's behind it this chapter and probably not in the next few chapters. It'll be for later :p **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy. **

* * *

**CHAPTER 26**

**RPOV**

The next few days I didn't get any notes. I didn't know what to think about that. Had he given up or was he just waiting for the right time?

I felt relieved when the last bell rang on Friday. Just like the other students, I left the classroom immediately instead of staying behind to talk to Dimitri. We'd decided to not meet each other in school anymore. It was too dangerous. We had to keep a low profile.

Just like the last few days, Jesse was at the gate waiting for Camille. I looked straight ahead as I passed him, but then I felt a hand on my shoulder. Startled, I turned around.

"Let go of me," I shrieked when I saw it was Jesse.

"Sorry!" he said, holding up his hands. "I didn't mean to scare you. Sorry."

"Just…just stay off of me, okay?" I said. "I don't want you to touch me."

"Okay. I understand. I just wanted to talk to you for a second," he said.

I eyed him suspiciously. "Why?"

He shrugged.

"Well, I'm not interested," I said, turning away.

"No, wait!" Jesse said. "I want to apologize."

I looked at him again and raised my eyebrows. "Apologize?"

"Yes," he said, giving me a small smile. "I should've left you alone when you wanted me to. I was a jerk to you. I'm sorry."

I stared at him in disbelief. Was he being serious or was he just messing with me?

"Hey! Leave her alone."

I turned around and saw Eddie, his hands clenched in fists. "Eddie, what-"

"Stay away from Rose!"

"I wasn't trying anything," Jesse said. "I just wanted to-"

"I don't care what you wanted to say or do," Eddie exclaimed. "Just leave her alone."

He grabbed my arm and hauled me away from Jesse.

"What are you doing?" I said when Eddie finally let me go.

He looked at me. "Are you crazy? Why were you talking to him?"

"I wasn't talking to him. He just said-"

"I don't think Belikov is going to like it when he hears you were talking to Jesse," Eddie interrupted. "Why can't you ever stay out of trouble?"

"I wasn't in trouble," I hissed, "and what do you care if Dimitri's not going to like it that Jesse was talking to me?"

"Well, it seems like he's the only person you listen to so I guess I'll have to tell him about your little encounter with Jesse," Eddie said. "I know he'll stop you from talking to the bastard."

"For the last time, I wasn't talking to Jesse!" I exclaimed. "And since when are you teaming up with Dimitri? Did I miss something?" Eddie started walking again. I quickly followed him. "Hey, I'm talking to you," I said when he hadn't said anything in five minutes.

"We had a conversation," Eddie finally said.

"You talked to him?" I exclaimed.

He nodded.

"When did that happen?"

Eddie shrugged. "A few days ago."

"_What?_ And why has nobody told me about this?" I said, outraged.

"I'm telling you now."

"And?" I said impatiently.

"And he made me realize that I shouldn't be angry with you for loving someone." Hesitantly, he looked up at me and gave me a small smile. "After all, you can't help who you fall in love with."

I stared at him, shocked.

"I'm sorry, Rose," Eddie said softly.

My anger faded immediately and I flung my arms around his neck and hugged him. "I missed you," I whispered.

I felt his arms wrap around me. "I missed you too," he whispered back.

I let go of him and grinned. "Friends?" I said.

He smiled. "Friends."

We started walking again, in a comfortable silence. As we neared my house, Eddie put his hand on my arm and I looked at him questioningly.

"Are you okay? Mr. Belikov said you're stressed."

"He said that?"

Eddie nodded. "Yeah. He's worried about you. And so am I," he admitted.

I gave him a small smile. "I'm okay. I'm just a little…"

"What?" he pressed.

I looked at him and decided to tell him about the notes. Lissa also knew about it so I didn't see why I couldn't tell him. Maybe he could help, but I doubted it.

"So yeah… I don't know what I have to do now," I concluded after telling him the whole story. "I have no clue who it could be."

"It seems to me that he doesn't really like you and Belikov," Eddie muttered. "Did you have a fight with someone lately? Did you make someone angry?"

"Beside you?" I said teasingly.

He elbowed me playfully. "Focus, Hathaway."

We came to a stop in front of my house. I walked to the door and turned to face Eddie, who'd followed me.

"I don't think so," I said at last.

"Whoever it is, he's bound to make a mistake sometime. He can't hide forever," Eddie said.

I sighed. "Well, we'll see how it goes." I smiled. "Thanks, Eddie."

He smiled, too. "I guess I'll see you on Monday, then."

I nodded and watched him leave. Smiling, I opened the door and went inside. My problems might not be solved, but at least I had my friend back. I didn't know if we would ever be as good friends as we'd once been, but this was a start. And it was all thanks to Dimitri. I needed to remember to thank him tomorrow.

The rest of the day was rather boring. I did my homework and watched some TV later that evening. Mom came home around ten, but she was exhausted and went straight to bed. I followed her lead and went to my own bedroom. I couldn't sleep, though. I was too keyed up and wanted it to be morning already.

I hadn't talked to Dimitri in a couple days, now that we'd agreed on not seeing each other at school anymore. Tomorrow night I'd go to his place – my mom thought I was going to Lissa – so we could spend some time together.

At long last I fell asleep, but just like the last couple of nights, my sleep was filled with nightmares. It was always the same dream: Lazar finding out about us, Dimitri getting fired, my mom taking me away from Dimitri…and then this guy, enveloped in shadows, who would smile evilly and say, "Told you so." Then I'd hear him laugh maniacally and that's when I woke up, drenched in sweat and shaking.

I took a deep breath and tried to calm down, telling myself over and over again it was just a dream. Telling myself that Lazar wouldn't figure out we'd lied, that Dimitri wouldn't get fired and that my mom wouldn't take me away from him.

I let out a sigh, got up and quietly walked to the bathroom to take a cold shower. Hopefully that would distract me from the nightmare.

Just like yesterday, I sat down in front of my books again. Finals were almost there so I'd better start to study, because I really didn't want to fail this year. To my surprise, the day went by quickly and soon it was seven o'clock. Time for me to get ready.

Mom dropped me off in town. I'd told her I would meet my friends there and spend the night at Lissa's. Like always, she bought it. I didn't know if I should be happy it was so easy to fool her or not. I guess that once she found out about Dimitri and me, she wouldn't be fooled so easily anymore.

I walked toward Dimitri's apartment, looking over my shoulder from time to time to see if someone was following me. But the streets were empty besides me. I let out a sigh of relief and quickened my pace.

I entered the apartment building and as I climbed the stairs, I heard screams in the distance. When I was on Dimitri's floor, I realized the screams were coming from here. I guess Dimitri's neighbors were fighting again. Ignoring the loud voices, I knocked hard on his door and waited for him to open.

"Hey," I said, giving him a small smile as the door opened. "Your neighbors having a fight again?"

Dimitri sighed. "Yeah. Hopefully they'll shut up soon."

"Why don't you tell them to take it down a notch?"

"Believe me, I tried," he said as he let me in and closed the door behind me. The screams faded. "I knocked on their door and asked if they could stop yelling, but that guy slammed the door shut in my face."

"And what about the other residents?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, but they've asked the owner to throw them out due to nuisance."

"I guess it's for the best. I mean, if your neighbors can't keep their voices down… There are people who'd like to relax after a day of hard work," I grumbled.

He smirked. "Are you saying you worked hard today?"

"No, I'm talking about the other residents. But yes, I also worked hard today," I added grinning.

Dimitri arched an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yes." I made my way to the couch and flung myself on it. "I've studied all day. What have you got to say now, comrade? Aren't I a good student?"

"Sure, Roza. You're a very good student," he said as he sat down beside me.

I grinned proudly and he smiled, amused. "So what did you study?"

"Math, English and history. Not that I really need to study for history," I teased. "You're going to give me an A anyway."

"And why would I do that?"

"Because it's me we're talking about."

"You know I can't do that, Roza," he said.

"I know. I'm just kidding, comrade," I said grinning as I nudged him. "Relax."

Dimitri rolled his eyes, but smiled reluctantly. "You are something else, you know that?"

I playfully slapped his arm. He glared at me and I giggled. I didn't know why, but suddenly my mood was better than it had been in days. It had probably something to with Dimitri. Smiling, he leaned in to kiss me. I decided to play with him and moved away.

"Hey – get back here," Dimitri said.

I shook my head, scooting away until I reached the end of the couch.

"Roza," he said warningly. "Stop teasing."

I grinned. "What are you going to do about it, comrade?"

Within seconds he was on top of me, pushing me down on the couch. I squealed and tried to fight him off, but he was much stronger than me. He could easily hold me down for hours if he wanted to. He grinned wickedly before he started to tickle me.

I trashed beneath him, trying to push him off me. "Stop it!" I shrieked. "Don't – Oh God! Stop it, stop it, Dimitri!"

"Now, why would I do that?" he said.

He kept tickling me and I squealed again. I pushed against his chest, but he wouldn't budge.

"Dimitri, stop! Please!" I begged. "You're killing me."

Finally, he stopped, resting his hands on my sides, and I sighed in relief. Dimitri still lay on top of me and made no attempt to move. I didn't really mind.

"That's better," I said.

He smiled and leaned in to kiss me again. This time, I let him. I wrapped my arms around his neck as I responded to his kiss.

"Thank you," I said when he pulled away.

He looked at me funnily. "For what?"

I smiled. "For talking to Eddie."

Dimitri smiled, too. "He talked to you? What did he say?"

"He said he was sorry," I answered. "And that you made him realize he shouldn't be angry with me."

His smile widened. "So you're friends again?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

Dimitri brushed a strand of hair out of my face. "Good. I'm glad you worked it out."

"That never would've happened if it wasn't for you. Thank you, Dimitri," I whispered and I kissed him softly on the lips.

Caressing my cheek, he said, "You're welcome, Roza."

He got off me and sat up again, pulling me up. I snuggled closer to him.

"Hey, your neighbors stopped yelling," I suddenly noted. "Now we can watch a movie!"

"If they keep quiet," Dimitri muttered.

He let me choose the movie – it was a horror movie, I loved those even though it scared the crap out of me sometimes – and when the movie started, I leaned into his chest as he wrapped his arm around me. I kept hiding my face in his chest whenever there was something scary about to happen, which made him laugh.

"Why do you even want to watch horror movies if you turn away every time something scary happens?" he said.

"I don't know!" I said in a muffled voice.

Dimitri chuckled and kissed my hair. "It's over. You can look again."

I dared a peek at the screen and saw that he was right.

Halfway through the movie, someone knocked at the door. I looked at Dimitri, panicked.

There was another knock and then a voice said, "Dimitri, I know you're there! Let me in! I need to talk to you!"

Dimitri cursed in Russian and said quietly, "That's Ivan. I'm just going to ignore him and-"

"Dimka! Open up," Ivan exclaimed, pounding on the door. "I'm not leaving before you've opened this goddamned door."

"I'll go hide in your bedroom," I suggested.

"Roza, no," Dimitri said. "You don't have to-"

"What else are we going to do? Ivan can't see me."

Sighing, he gave in. "Fine. But I'll send him away as soon as possible." I walked to his bedroom and he followed me. "I'm so sorry, Roza. I had no idea he was coming."

"That's okay," I said, giving him a small smile. "It's not your fault."

"DIMITRI!"

"Go," I whispered before closing his bedroom door.

I stayed at the door and listened to their conversation. Dimitri had finally opened the door and I heard him say that it was not a good time to come by, but Ivan didn't let him finish his sentence and emerged inside the apartment.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

I frowned. Why wouldn't Dimitri be okay?

Apparently Dimitri thought the same. "Yeah, sure. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because Tasha's back," Ivan said. "I just heard it from your sister. I'm sorry, man, if I'd known, I would've come sooner, but I just heard it."

"Ivan, I'm okay. Really," Dimitri said.

"Are you sure? I understand if you're not. I mean, that little bitch has-"

"I'm fine," Dimitri interrupted. "I really appreciate that you came by, but I'm fine. Great, even."

"Oh, okay." For a moment I didn't hear anything, but then Ivan spoke up again. "You had company tonight?"

My eyes widened. Oh no. Had I left something in Dimitri's living room? Maybe he'd seen our drinks on the coffee table.

"Umm…Yeah."

"Was it some girl? Are you dating?" Before Dimitri could utter a word, he continued, "Make sure Tasha sees the two of you. That will teach her a lesson."

"I'm not dating anyone and I don't need to teach Tasha a lesson."

"Then who was here?" Silence. "It wasn't Tasha, right?" Ivan exclaimed. "Don't tell me you believe the bullshit she fed you!"

"No! Calm down, Ivan. It was just…Viktoria. She was here."

"Viktoria?"

"Yes, Viktoria."

"That's weird, because I just saw her and Olena."

Oh no. Oh no. Everything was ruined.

"She's the one who told me Tasha's back," Ivan continued.

"Umm, I meant Karolina," Dimitri said quickly. "Yeah, Karolina was here."

I didn't see Ivan, but I could imagine the look on his face right now. "Okay..." he said at last. "Are you sure everything's okay?"

"Yeah. Sure."

Ivan seemed to believe him - or maybe not, but at least he didn't question him - and then he started talking about something else. He mentioned some girl's name – I figured he was talking about his girlfriend – and kept talking. Sighing, I walked away from the door and sat down on the bed, waiting until Ivan would leave.

After half an hour, it became clear Ivan wasn't about to leave yet. I made myself more comfortable on Dimitri's bed and picked up his book that he'd put on his nightstand. I flipped it open. A smile spread out on my face when I saw his bookmark. It was a picture of me when I was at the school dance. I was standing at the entrance of the gym and looked directly into the camera, smiling. He must've gotten it from our school site. A week or so ago they'd uploaded all the pictures from the dance on the site so students could take a look. Apparently, those pictures were also available for the teachers.

Figuring Ivan would still be here for a while, I started reading.

**DPOV**

Impatiently, I glanced at my watch for the tenth time. Ivan was here for over an hour now and there was no way of getting him out of here. I'd tried many times, hinting that I'd rather be alone now. What was he doing here anyway? It was Saturday night. Shouldn't he be with his girlfriend? Like _I_ had been, before he'd come to ruin my only night with Roza. I appreciated him coming by to see if I was okay, but now he really had to leave. I wanted to be with Rose.

I cleared my throat and said, "Um, I'm kind of tired. So if you don't mind…"

"Oh, sure. Sure," Ivan said, though he didn't make a move to get up from the couch. "Oh wait, have I told you about Julie?"

I clenched my jaw. Sometimes Ivan could talk as much as a woman – maybe even more. I was surprised I didn't have a headache from all his talking. "What about her?"

"Well, Sarah told me she started dating this guy…"

I didn't really pay attention to his story until I heard my name.

"…still not over you, Dimitri. She still hopes you will change your mind about her."

"That's not going to happen." I sighed. "Ivan, I'm sorry, but I would really like to-"

"Oh yeah! Of course." He got up and walked to the door. "Next time you see Tasha, just ignore her. You deserve much better than her."

I walked to him and said, "Don't worry. I'm not going to get back together with her."

"Good." He smiled. "Good night, Dimka."

"Night," I said before closing the door and letting out a sigh of relief.

I looked at the clock and noticed it was almost eleven. Great. I knew Ivan hadn't meant to, but he'd really ruined my night with Roza. She'd probably fallen asleep by now.

I quietly opened the door and went inside. Roza was lying in bed, but her hair covered the most part her face so I couldn't see if she was asleep or not. The lamp on the bedside table was on, though. I stripped down to my boxer shorts and slipped under the covers. She didn't move.

I couldn't help myself and whispered, "Roza, are you awake?"

"Hmm?" Slowly, she turned around. "Comrade?" she said, squinting.

"I'm right here,' I murmured, taking her hand under the covers.

She sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Did I fall asleep?"

I sat up, too. "Yeah. Sorry, I didn't want to wake you up."

"No, it's fine." She yawned. "God, your book is boring."

"What?" I said frowning. It was then that I noticed the book in her lap. "You were reading my book?"

"Yeah, but it made me feel sleepy."

I rolled my eyes.

"But I like your bookmark," Rose said teasingly as she looked at me.

I stiffened. Oh God…She'd seen it?

"Don't you?" she said, still in that teasing tone.

I think this was the first time in my life I actually blushed. Luckily it was dark enough so Rose couldn't see. Why was I even embarrassed? I was allowed to have a picture of her. She was my girlfriend, after all.

"Yes, I like it too," I said at last, smiling.

Rose wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me in for a kiss.

"I'm sorry," I said when she pulled away. "Ivan wouldn't leave and…" I sighed. "I'm sorry. This was supposed to be our night together and-"

"It's okay," she interrupted me gently.

"But-"

She silenced me with another kiss. "Don't worry about it." She smiled. "I borrowed one of your shirts to sleep in," she said, looking down at the shirt. "Do you mind?"

I shook my head. "Not at all. I quite like it on you," I said, tugging on the shirt. "In fact, you look very sexy in it."

She grinned. "Why, thank you, comrade. You look very sexy _without_ a shirt on."

I rolled my eyes at her and leaned in to kiss her. She sighed in content as she lay back down and I hovered over her to flick off the lamp before laying down next to her. I draped my arm over her waist and pulled her closer to me, nuzzling my face into her neck.

"Good night, comrade," Rose murmured.

"Good night, Roza," I whispered, kissing her shoulder.

I watched her angelic face as she slept, her breathing even, until I finally fell asleep myself.

* * *

**Eddie and Rose made up! Yay! And Dimitri almost messed up with Ivan. Do you think Ivan really believed him? I thought you guys deserved a sweet, nice chapter before something goes wrong again so I hope you liked it :p **

**Please leave a review on your way out and tell me what you think ;)**

**P.S. They started filming VA today! Who's excited?! :D**


	27. Chapter 27

**Thank you for the reviews :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 27**

**RPOV**

I woke up to someone kissing me. My eyes fluttered open and I saw Dimitri hovering over me.

"Good morning, beautiful," he said softly.

I smiled. "Morning, comrade."

He smiled too and trailed kisses down my neck as his hands slowly moved under my shirt.

"We don't have time for that," I said as I gently pushed against his chest.

Dimitri looked up at me and pouted. I couldn't believe he actually pouted. I giggled. Grinning, he leaned in and placed a kiss on my lips.

"I have to be home before my mom gets home, remember?" I said.

Last night, before she'd dropped me off, she'd said that she wanted me home by the time she got home from work. According to her, I needed to focus more on my studies and less on my friends. When finals were over, I could hang out with them as much as I wanted, she'd said. I preferred hanging out with Dimitri, though.

"No, I don't remember you telling me that," Dimitri said. "I thought you said you could spend the whole day here with me."

"Nice try, comrade," I said, punching his arm lightly. "Now get off of me. I need to get ready."

He reluctantly rolled off me and I got up. I walked to the door . Before leaving, I turned to Dimitri and said grinning, "Hey, if I remember correctly you wanted to save some water. So how about we save some now?"

Dimitri was up in a flash. "I knew you couldn't resist me," he said smirking.

An hour later, we were on our way to my home. I was dreading to go home, though, because I knew it would take another week until I could finally be alone with Dimitri again – if I had a chance to see him during the weekend then. I didn't think my mom would like it if I'd go away again next weekend. She'd just say I should study.

"Thanks for driving me home," I said to Dimitri as I gathered my stuff from the backseat.

Dimitri smiled. "No problem, Roza."

"Love you," I said, starting to get out of the car.

"I love you too," Dimitri said and he leaned in to kiss me. But before his lips touched mine, he abruptly pulled back. "I thought you said your mom wasn't here yet," he said as he stared at something behind me.

Frowning, I said, "That's because she isn't – what are you staring at?"

I turned around and gasped. Oh my God, she was here. She was at home. Why did she get home so early? Oh God. She was walking toward the car. All those other times Dimitri had parked his car a few feet or even a few blocks away, but this time he'd parked his car right in front of my house because we'd thought my mom wouldn't be here yet and because he would leave immediately after he'd dropped me off. But just today my mom had to come home early and see the car.

I looked at Dimitri and then back at my mom. She didn't look pissed, but she didn't look happy either. I swallowed heavily and got out of the car.

"Mom, what are you doing here? I thought you were still at work," I said nervously. I tried not to look too guilty.

"Well, I'm not," she replied. "What's going on here? I thought you were with Lissa? Why are you sitting in a stranger's car?" I bit my lip. Apparently she hadn't gotten a good look on Dimitri in the car, otherwise she would've asked something entirely different. "Rosemarie Hathaway, I expect an answer. Right now!" she demanded when I didn't say anything.

Just then, Dimitri got out of his car and walked toward us.

"Mom, do you remember Mr. Belikov?" I said at last. Mom turned to Dimitri and when I saw the look of surprise on her face, I knew she'd recognized him. "You met him in the supermarket," I said.

"Oh, right. Mr. Belikov," she said smiling.

"Hi, Ms. Hathaway," Dimitri said, giving her a polite smile.

"What's going on?" Mom asked, confused. "You said you were with Lissa, Rose… Don't tell me-"

"I was with Lissa!" I interrupted her quickly. "But you wanted me home before you got home and Lissa's parents were gone this morning. They had to be somewhere. And Andre wasn't there either so nobody could drive me home. So I walked to the bus station, but I was too late." Good thing I could lie so well. I was starting to get a pro. "So I started walking home and that's when Mr. Belikov drove by and saw me."

My mom looked over at Dimitri, who nodded. "Yeah, I saw Rose walking so I gave her a lift."

"Oh." She looked very relieved. "In that case, thank you for bringing Rose home. I thought she'd caused some trouble," she added.

"Why would I cause trouble?" I exclaimed. "I'm a good student!"

I could see Dimitri was on the verge of smiling, but he hid it. "It's not a problem, Ms. Hathaway," he said, waving it away. "I had to be in the neighborhood anyway." He glanced at me and then looked at my mom again. "I have to go. It was nice seeing you again."

"Yeah, you too," Mom said, giving him a small smile. "Thanks again for driving Rose home."

"You're welcome. I'll see you next week, Rose," he said, smiling at me.

I smiled back. "Bye, Mr. Belikov!"

He got inside his car and drove away.

"It was nice of him to drive you home," Mom said.

"Yeah," I said, silently praying she wouldn't ask me any questions.

"You like him?" she questioned.

Oh no. Not that question.

"Wh-what? No! Of course not. Why…why would you think that?" I stammered as my cheeks burned red.

She laughed. "I mean, do you like him as a teacher?"

"Oh. He's okay, I guess," I said, not wanting to be too enthusiastic. "For a teacher."

Before she could ask any other questions, I headed for the door and went inside. I texted Dimitri that my mom didn't suspect anything and that everything was okay. At least, I hoped so.

Later that day someone called me, but when I picked up the phone, I didn't hear anything but breathing on the other line.

"Hello?" I said again.

No response. A few seconds later, he – or she – disconnected.

"Jerk," I muttered, putting my phone away.

I didn't think much of it, just some kid who was bored and wanted to annoy some people, but the next day it happened again. And more frequently. Every time I picked up the phone, I heard him breathing. Or at least, I thought it was a him. No girl would do this, right?

I was starting to wonder if it was the same person who'd left me the note. Could that be true? But how did he get my number? All these questions were giving me a headache.

To top it all, I found another note in my locker on Tuesday. I was almost afraid to read it, but I did it anyway. I had to know what the note said.

_I wonder what your mother is going to say when she finds out about your little romance. What would her colleagues think when they hear the daughter of the great detective Janine Hathaway is having an affair with her history teacher? I bet she'd be ashamed of you. Would she think, just as me, that you're nothing more than a slut, willing to sleep with a teacher to get a few extra grades? _

Tears sprung in my eyes as I read the note. I quickly blinked them away. So here it was. His first real threat. He was going to tell my mom. She would not only be pissed off but she would also feel betrayed. Betrayed by her own daughter. But would he really tell her? Wasn't he just doing this to upset me? To hurt me?

I read the note again and this time I didn't feel hurt. I just felt angry. How dare he call me a slut? How dare he to imply I was sleeping with Dimitri for extra grades? If I ever found out who wrote this, he was going to regret it big time. If I ever found out who the bastard was who dared to call me a slut, I would-

"Ready for P.E.?"

I looked up and saw Lissa smiling at me. "Yeah," I said, quickly folding the note and stuffing it in my pocket. "Let's go."

I couldn't concentrate on the game. We'd been playing hockey for the last half an hour, but the whole time I kept thinking about the note. It still made me angry, just thinking about what he'd written. Because I was so distracted, I was making my team lose. Normally, I was good at sports, but now I wasn't doing much.

"Are you okay?" Mason asked, who was on my team.

"Yeah, fine," I said, waving him away as Lissa passed me the puck. I was about to shot the puck to Dave when someone slammed into me. I almost lost my balance.

"Woops," Camille said, smiling slyly. "I didn't see you there."

I glared at her. "Sure you didn't."

I wanted to walk away, but she moved in front of me again. Her smile had disappeared and now she just looked angry.

"What?" I said angrily. "I didn't do anything wrong!"

"If staring at my boyfriend isn't doing anything wrong, then no. But I disagree, though," she said.

I stared at her, speechless. "What?" I managed to say at last.

"You heard me," Camille said. "I saw you talking to Jesse last week. You're always looking at him when he's at school waiting for me. But he's mine now, Rose. You are never going to get him back."

I scoffed. "I don't want him back. You can have him."

"Sure, Rose. Then why are you still staring at him whenever you see him?" she said, hands on her hips.

"I am not-" I started, outraged.

"I know what you're trying to do, Rose," Camille interrupted me. "You do it with all the boys, like Adrian for example… He was stupid enough to fall for it, but it's not going to work this time." She smirked. "Jesse is not going to fall for a slut like you. He made that mistake once with you. He's not going to do it again."

I stared at her, shocked. Had she really called me a slut? Me? I've had two boyfriends in my whole life. Jesse had been my first boyfriend and now I was with Dimitri. And I'd only slept with Dimitri. How could she call me a slut? She didn't even really know me. She just hated my guts.

I suddenly remembered the note from this morning, how it had said I was a slut. Apparently lots of people thought I was a slut. Camille started laughing at me and that's when I lost it. Before I realized what I was doing, I'd pushed Camille on the ground. She gasped and screamed for me to get off of her.

"You bitch!" I exclaimed. "How dare you call me a slut? How dare you? I'm going to-"

I let out a yelp when she pulled on my hair.

"Get off of me!" Camille screamed. "Get the fuck off of me!"

Her nails raked across my arms as I tried to push her hands away. In the distance I heard someone calling my name. I thought it was Lissa. I could hear the fear in her voice. It made me look up. I hadn't noticed that Camille had stopped pulling my hair and scratching my arms until something suddenly banged against my head. I yelped in surprise and pain as I rolled off Camille. I closed my eyes and when I opened them, I saw stars. I looked back at Camille, who was holding her hockey stick protectively in front of her.

"Did you just hit me with a hockey stick?" I said, outraged. I started to advance at her again, but somebody pulled me up by my collar. "Hey! Let go of me!"

I looked up and quickly stopped struggling when I noticed it was Alto who'd pulled me up. The rest of our class had gathered around the three of us to stare at us with their mouths wide open. Lissa covered her hand over her mouth as she looked at me, shocked.

"What the hell is going on here?" Mr. Alto exclaimed. He was holding me by my arm now and it was starting to hurt.

Camille got up, hair disheveled and clothes ruined, and she pointed at me. "She attacked me!" she said angrily. To my satisfaction, I saw that I'd taken a good hit on her face, right above her eye.

"She called me a slut," I retorted. "It's her own fault!"

Alto closed his eyes briefly and let out a deep sigh. "Whatever the reason is of this pathetic excuse of a fight, don't ever do this again. This behavior can't be tolerated! And I don't care who started the fight," he continued when Camille was about to say something. "Now get out of my sight! I don't want to see you on the field today anymore. Camille, go clean up."

As Camille retreated, Alto finally let me go. I turned to face him.

"And you, Rose… You'd better go to the school nurse. You're bleeding. It looks like she hit you pretty hard with that hockey stick."

I looked at him, a little surprised. I'd expected a detention and a lot of yelling, but it seemed like this was all he was going to say. Maybe Stan Alto wasn't as bad as I'd always thought.

As I walked back to the school, the adrenaline in my body faded and my head started throbbing. I made my way to the nurse's small office and knocked on the door. No response. Sighing, I opened the door and peeked my head inside. Nobody was there. I closed the door again and made myself comfortable on the floor. I hoped the nurse would come back quickly.

Closing my eyes, I leaned my head against the wall, hoping the pain in my head would fade.

"Roza?" My eyes snapped open and I looked up in Dimitri's worried face. "What happened to you?"

Great. Of course Dimitri had to find me like this…

With great effort, I got up and swayed on my legs a little. Dimitri reached out and steadied me.

"What happened?" he repeated.

I shrugged and faked a smile. "A small accident when I was playing hockey. Nothing serious, though."

He gave me a stern look. "Rose, you're bleeding. Don't tell me that's not serious."

I leaned against the wall, wincing in pain, and sighed.

"Are you going to tell me what happened?"

"I got into a fight," I admitted reluctantly.

Dimitri stared at me in disbelief. "What?"

"I had a fight with Camille," I said. "Alto told me to go to the nurse, but she isn't here."

Shaking his head, Dimitri opened the door and waited for me to go in.

"What are you doing?" I hissed. "Someone could see us."

"It's not forbidden to help you," he said. "Come on."

I let out a sigh and followed him inside. He motioned for me to sit down on one of the chairs. I complied and waited while Dimitri rummaged through the drawers. He moved around the room and after a few minutes, he sat down opposite me with the disinfectant and a damp cloth and started to clean my wounds. It reminded me a lot of that time he'd helped me clean up after Jesse had hurt me. The disinfectant stung and I winced in pain.

"What did she do to you?" Dimitri asked.

"She hit me with her hockey stick," I said. "I didn't see it coming."

Dimitri looked down at my arms. "It looks a lot like cat scratches," he noted.

"That's because she's a minx," I muttered.

"Why did she do this to you?" he asked.

"Because…" I took a deep breath, knowing he wouldn't be happy to hear this. "Because I attacked her."

His head shot up. "You did _what_?"

I glanced at the clock. "I'd better get back," I said as I started to get up, but Dimitri pushed me down on my chair again.

"You're not going anywhere until I've disinfected your wounds," he said.

"Don't you have a class to teach right now?" I said, annoyed.

He shook his head. "Not yet. Why did you attack Camille?"

I averted my eyes. "She…she called me a slut."

Dimitri stopped cleaning my wounds and looked up at me. A long silence fell. I made sure not to look Dimitri in the eye.

At long last, he said, "She shouldn't have said that. It's not true. Everyone knows you're not like that."

I snorted. "It seems like she's not the only one who thinks I'm a slut."

"Roza, don't say that," he chastised.

"Well, it's true," I said, finally looking up at him. Tears brimmed my eyes. "That guy…that guy said it, too."

Dimitri frowned. "What guy?"

I wiped at my eyes. "The guy from the note." He stiffened and I continued, "There was another one in my locker this morning. He threatened to tell my mom about us and he called me a slut." I let out a shaky breath. "Then Camille started to pick a fight with me and when she called me a slut, I just lost it." I hid my face in my hands. "What if there are others thinking the same? I don't want that. I don't want-"

"Roza, you know you're not a slut," Dimitri said, prying my hands away. "Nobody thinks that of you. Camille just said it to hurt your feelings – just like that guy. They only want to hurt you. But don't listen to them. It's not true." He moved closer to me and placed his hand on my cheek. "I know it's hard, but don't listen to them. You know it's not true. You know that's not who you are, Roza. _I_ know you're not like that."

I sighed. "I know, I know. It was stupid of me. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, milaya," he said, giving me a small smile. "Just promise me to ignore her next time. Fighting won't do anything good. Just ignore her."

I nodded. "Okay," I whispered.

Dimitri squeezed my hand gently and I yelped in pain, pulling my hand away from him.

Worry edged his face and he said, "What's wrong?"

"My hand," I said. "I hit Camille in the face and now it hurts."

He looked amused. "Well, that's what you get when you start a fight."

I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Sometimes I wonder if you really are eighteen" he said, shaking his head slightly.

I nudged his knee. "Does it matter? You love me anyway," I said grinning.

He looked up at me and smiled. "Yes, I do."

I suddenly thought about the note again and sobered up. "What are we going to do now? He's probably going to tell my mom…"

"To be honest, I think he's just bluffing," Dimitri said. "We haven't been seeing each other at school anymore. Only during the weekends. When you came by last Saturday, did you see anybody?"

I shook my head.

"Nobody followed you?"

Once again, I shook my head.

"He's bluffing. He wouldn't go to your mom. If he really wanted to tell her, he would've done it already." He sighed and continued, "But that doesn't mean we don't have to be careful. Finals are starting soon so we won't get to see each other anyway. Maybe he'll think we've broken up."

"Let's hope so," I said, thinking about the anonymous caller who'd been breathing into my phone the last few days. Should I tell him?

Dimitri took my hand in his, careful not to hurt me, and said, "It'll be all over soon. After graduation, this will be all over. We won't have to worry anymore."

Suddenly, the door opened and we both looked up, startled. The nurse, Ms. Olendzki, had finally come back.

"Mr. Belikov? Rose?" she said frowning. "What are you doing here?"

"I had an accident during P.E.," I said. "Nobody was here when I arrived so I waited and then Mr. Belikov came. He helped me clean my wounds."

Ms. Olendzki looked at Dimitri for confirmation and he nodded. "Could you check if she has a concussion?" he asked. "She was hit pretty hard on her head."

"Sure," Ms. Olendzki said.

Fifteen minutes later I was out of the door. I had no concussion, but there was a small bump on the side of my head now. Wonderful.

Dimitri walked beside me as we left Olendzki's office. "It's only a bump, Roza," he said. "It'll be gone in a few days."

"That's a few days too long," I grumbled.

He glanced at me and gave me a half smile. "You still look beautiful, even with a bump on your head."

Before I could react, someone called Dimitri's name. I looked up and groaned inwardly when I saw who it was.

"Dimitri!" she repeated as she came running our way.

"Tasha," Dimitri said coolly.

She put her hand on his arm and smiled. "How are you?"

He moved away from her. "I'm good."

Tasha glanced at me. "Oh, hey, Rose," she said as if this was the first time she noticed me. "What are you doing here? Don't you have class?"

"Yeah, but I had an accident," I said, pointing at my head. "Anyway, I need to go back." I turned to Dimitri. Just to annoy Tasha, I wanted to put my hand on his arm, like she'd done, but I refrained myself. I couldn't do that. There was already someone out there who knew about us and who was trying to tear us apart. I didn't want her to find out, too. She would definitely try to break us up. Instead, I just smiled. "Thanks for helping me out, Mr. Belikov."

Dimitri smiled back. "No problem, Rose."

I nodded at Tasha and quickly headed to the dressing room. I felt relieved I'd been able to tell Dimitri about the note. I didn't think I would've been able to tell him so soon. I was also glad he thought the guy was just bluffing. I really hoped Dimitri was right.

I knew this also had been my opportunity to tell Dimitri about the anonymous caller. I really should have told him, but I'd gotten scared. I didn't know why, but all of a sudden I was afraid to tell him. But that was ridiculous. _Next time you're going to tell him,_ I told myself. _No matter what. He has a right to know._

Sighing, I went inside the dressing room and got changed. I only had ten minutes left and I didn't want to be late for my next class. I'd already drawn attention enough for today.

* * *

**So now there's also someone calling Rose. Could it be the same person who's writing the notes? **

**I'm sorry if there are any mistakes, but I had to hurry and couldn't reread it. **

**Let me know what you think ;)**


	28. Chapter 28

**Thank you so much for the reviews! :) **

**My exams are starting soon so I won't be able to update as much for the next two weeks (you probably already noticed it). But I'll try my best to post a chapter once a week. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 28**

**RPOV**

The next day, my face looked worse. The bump had swollen even more. Luckily, my hair covered it partly. When I'd come home yesterday, Mom had asked me a lot of questions about what happened. I'd answered them vaguely, telling her that it had been an accident. She didn't question my explanation.

I'd gotten up early today so I could leave for school and get there early in the morning. I wanted to check out if someone was hanging around my locker before school started. Maybe I could find out like this who's been harassing me lately. My plan wasn't really solid – this person could still see me – but what else was I going to do? I had to do _something_ if I ever wanted to find out who was sending me notes.

So when I got to school, I lingered near the lockers. As soon as I heard footsteps, I walked over to the janitor closet a few feet away and went inside. I left the door open just a crack so I could see what was happening.

It was just Tasha, though. I sighed, annoyed. What was she doing here? Classes wouldn't start until half an hour later. Suddenly she stopped and looked around. I frowned. What was she going to do?

After making sure nobody was around, she walked to the lockers. And stopped right in front of mine. I stared at her, mouth wide open, as she tried the locker combination. Narrowing my eyes, I pushed the door open and walked toward her as quietly as possible. Apparently I wasn't as quiet as I'd wished, because she stopped and turned around.

"Oh!" she gasped. "Hi Rose."

"Hi," I said flatly. "Um, what are you doing at my locker?"

"Oh…" Tasha flushed bright red. "Oh…Is this your locker?" She faked a smile. "Silly me. I thought it was Christian's locker! I must've gotten it wrong." She laughed. It sounded forced. "No wonder the combination doesn't work."

I didn't buy it, but I pretended to believe her. "Oh, no problem. Christian's locker is over there," I said, pointing at his locker a few feet away from mine.

"Thanks," she said, walking over to the locker.

I followed her. "So do you need something from his locker?" I didn't want to sound too suspicious so I added, "Or do you want to give him something back? I could give it to him if you'd like."

"Oh no, it's not that. I just need something, yeah. He said he'd put it in his locker. It's a book," she rambled. "He borrowed it from me and I'd like to have it back. But I guess I forgot the code." She glanced at her clock. "Oh, I need to get back. It was nice talking to you, Rose."

She hurriedly walked away.

"You lying bitch," I muttered.

Christian didn't read. There was no way in hell he would ever pick up a book. Even if he had to read for a school assignment, he wouldn't do it. He would just copy it from Lissa. And she definitely had been trying to break into my locker. Otherwise she wouldn't have jumped up like that and started acting so weird.

I started to wonder if she had something to do with the notes. If only I'd waited a little longer. Maybe I would have seen her putting a note inside my locker then. Then I would've known for sure it was her. But I'd left the janitor's closet too soon…

I was going to tell Dimitri anyway. It was really suspicious that Tasha was trying to break into my locker. I couldn't come up with any other reason than that she was behind the notes. I didn't feel like talking about this over the phone and I couldn't meet him in school anymore so I decided to wait for him at his car after classes had ended.

When the school day was over, I still didn't know how I was going to do it yet, because I didn't want other teachers to see me waiting by his car. But if I wanted to talk to him today, I really should head over there. I said goodbye to my friends, but then Adrian grabbed my arm. I came to a standstill and looked up at him, frowning.

"What?" I said.

He stared at something behind me.

"Adrian?" I said, a little unsure. "Are you okay?"

His mouth went wide open as he kept staring. I was looking around to see what he was looking at, but I couldn't see what had him so captivated. To be honest, his behavior was starting to freak me out.

"Adrian!" I almost yelled.

He snapped awake and finally looked at me. "Rose, look," he said, awestruck. "Look at _her_. That girl is so beautiful."

"Did you drink?" I asked, sniffing the air. But today I didn't smell any alcohol on him. He must be sober.

Adrian slowly shook his head. "Look at her."

"Look at _who_?"

"That girl!" Adrian said pointing at someone. "Jill is talking to her."

I finally noticed the girl Adrian was talking about. She stood at the gate and was indeed talking to Jill. She had straight, shoulder-length blonde hair and from this distance, she looked very pretty.

"Why don't you go talk to her?" I said.

Lissa had been listening to our conversation. "Yeah, Adrian, go introduce yourself," she said smiling.

"Okay, I will," he said as he pulled out his cigarettes.

"I think it's best if you leave your cigarettes in your pocket," I remarked.

"Really?" he asked, looking doubtful. "It calms down my nerves."

I laughed. "You get nervous when you talk to a girl?" He glared at me and I quickly sobered up. "Just take my advice and don't start smoking in front of her," I said.

"Okay. Here we go," he said as he started walking toward the girl. "Wish me luck."

"Good luck," Lissa said.

Lissa and I watched how Adrian approached her and Jill. He started talking to the girl, but it didn't look like she was impressed by him. She abruptly turned to Jill and they both left. Adrian returned to us with a huge grin on his face.

"Why are you smiling? From what I could see, she didn't seem to take much interest in you," I said.

"Rose!" Lissa chastised.

I shrugged. "It's true."

Adrian waved it away. "Nah, she's just playing hard to get."

"Oh really," I said, smiling wryly. "And what's her name?"

"Her name is Sydney," Adrian said. He looked very proud that he knew the girl's name. "She's Jill's cousin and she came to pick her up today."

"What else do you know about her?" Lissa asked.

"Umm… That's about it," he said and he started to frown.

"Did she give you her number?"

He frowned even more. "No."

"So I guess you won't be seeing her again, huh," I said teasingly.

Lissa nudged me. "Don't say that. She might change her mind."

I suddenly remembered I needed to talk to Dimitri. I hoped he hadn't left yet.

"I need to go, guys," I said as I started walking away. "See you tomorrow."

I quickened my pace as I walked toward the parking lot. It was empty – except for a couple of cars and one of them was Dimitri's. I made my way to his car and sat down beside it to stay out of view. If someone would come here, I could still hide behind his car. After a couple of minutes, I heard footsteps. I hoped it was Dimitri, because I was getting tired of sitting on the ground and I needed to go home. Luckily for me, it was him.

"God, Roza, what are you doing behind my car?" he exclaimed when he noticed me sitting there.

"Did I scare you?" I said smirking.

"No, I just didn't expect you to find here," he replied. "What's going on?"

"I need to talk to you," I said as I got up. "About Tasha."

Dimitri frowned. "Tasha? What about her?"

I didn't think it would be a good idea to talk about this when someone could walk by and hear us so I nodded at his car. He got the message and we got inside.

"What's going on, Rose?" he repeated.

I told him about what had happened this morning with Tasha. He stayed silent while I talked and when I was done, he looked pensive.

"You should've waited a little longer," he said at last. "Now we don't know for sure it's her, because you confronted her before she opened your locker."

"I know, I know," I said sighing. "But aren't you shocked that it might be Tasha behind the notes?"

"I don't know," he said. "It seems unlikely she would be behind it."

"And why is that?" I said, raising my eyebrows.

"Because she wasn't here yet when it started."

"Yes, she was! She arrived the same week I got the first note."

"That might be true," Dimitri admitted, "but it really started after the dance, remember? Someone told Lazar about us – and it was a guy. When Lazar believed us, you suddenly got a note. It's more likely that it's the same person who called Lazar."

"Don't you think it's suspicious that Tasha was trying to break into my locker?"

"Maybe she was telling the truth," he said shrugging. "Maybe she did think it was Christian's locker."

"Why are you taking her side?" I said, outraged.

I couldn't believe this. Why didn't Dimitri think Tasha's behavior was suspicious? I just told him she was breaking into my locker and he was still so calm about it.

"I'm not taking her side," Dimitri said. "I just don't think she's behind it."

"But she was acting all weird!"

"That's still no proof," he said.

"Okay. Fine," I said, trying to stay calm. It was hard, though, because it really made me angry Dimitri didn't even want to consider the possibility of Tasha being behind the notes. I couldn't understand why. I mean, it's not like he's friends with her. "I'm sorry I bothered you. Have a nice day, Dimitri."

I was about to open the car door, but he grabbed my arm and stopped me.

"Don't be upset, Roza," he said.

I turned to him. "I can't be upset? I just told you your ex-girlfriend was about to break into my locker and you are defending her."

"I'm not defending her. I just don't think she did it."

"You already made that clear, yeah," I said, crossing my arms.

"I know Tasha. If she knew about us, she would have come to me and then she would've tried to blackmail me. She wouldn't send you notes." When I didn't say anything, he continued, "I still think it's the same guy who sold us out to Lazar, but…but I'll keep an eye on Tasha, okay? And if she acts suspicious, I'll tell you and maybe I could go talk to her…" He took my hand in his and squeezed it gently. "Don't be upset with me, Roza."

"It's okay. I'm not upset. I'm just…" I shrugged. "I guess I just don't like her."

"Because she's my ex-girlfriend?" Dimitri said.

"Yes," I admitted reluctantly.

He kissed the back of my hand. "You don't have to be jealous, Roza. She means nothing to me."

I sighed. "I know. It's just that I know she wants you back and…" I shook my head. "It doesn't matter. I have to go now. Bye, Dimitri."

I gave him a small smile before getting out of his car. I walked out of the parking lot and went home, my thoughts still with Dimitri. I hoped he really would keep an eye on Tasha and didn't just say so to soothe me, because I didn't trust her.

When I got home, I was alone. I thought my mom would be here, but then I noticed a note on the kitchen table, saying that she'd been called to work. I sat down at the table, took out my books and tried to study, but I couldn't concentrate. My phone started ringing and I answered it automatically. I realized what a mistake I'd made by picking up the phone when I heard the breathing again.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed away my fear and said, "Just quit it already. If you don't have anything to say, then stop calling." I sounded more secure than I really felt. "I'm tired of your games. Just leave me alone."

Finally, I got a reply. "I wouldn't have to play any games if you'd do what I want." The voice sounded all mechanical. He must be using a voice changer.

"Who the fuck are you?" I said. "And what do you want? Why don't you just leave me alone?"

"What do I want? What do I want?" he hissed. "I thought I was pretty clear about that!"

"No, I don't know-" I suddenly cut myself off. "Did _you_ tell Lazar?" I asked slowly. "And the notes? Are they from you?" I'd already thought it must be him, but since this morning, when I'd found Tasha at my locker, I'd been sure it had to be her. But now I was doubting again.

"Bravo, you finally figured it out."

"Who are you?" I yelled into my phone.

"You'll find out soon enough," he said, "if you don't do as I say."

"I'm not scared of you," I bit out.

"You should be. Aren't you afraid that I'm going to tell your mother?"

"You wouldn't," I said defiantly. "Besides, you don't have any proof."

"Don't have any proof?" he said. "Open your front door. Then you'll see the proof on your doorstep."

I was up in a flash. I ran to the window and looked out over the street. Oh my God. He was here. He was at my house and he was probably watching me right now. I suddenly felt sick.

But as I looked out of all the windows, I couldn't see anybody. Did he already leave? Did he just leave his 'proof' on my doorstep and had he walked away afterwards?

"You can stop looking now. You won't find me," he sneered. "Just open the door now."

My eyes went wide. He was still here. He must be close enough to see me.

"Where are you? How do I know this isn't a trip and that you're not just waiting for me to open the door?" I said, my voice trembling.

"I won't be there. I won't hurt you. You can count on that," he said. "If there's someone I want to hurt, then it's that teacher of yours. He deserves it."

"You're a sick bastard," I said angrily.

"I'm just doing what is right," he answered calmly. "Now go open the door."

I didn't trust him, but I really wanted to know what proof he had against us. Taking a deep breath, I walked into the hallway and opened the front door, praying nothing bad would happen. I quickly looked around and then noticed a photograph on the ground. It was one of Dimitri and me in his car. He was about to kiss me. It was when he'd dropped me off at my house, that day my mom almost busted us.

"How did you get this?" I said as I stared at the picture. "Did you follow me?"

"I got more pictures to prove your relationship with him," he said, ignoring me. "If you don't do what I want, they are going to your mom."

I bit my lip and looked around. Still no sign of him. How was it possible he could see me, but I couldn't see him?

"What do you want me to do?" I said at last, defeated.

"You already know what I want you to do," he said. "You have to break up with Belikov. I don't want you to see him anymore. You've got until the end of the week. If you don't do as I say, you know what will happen…"

"If I break up with him… Will you leave him alone then?" I asked in a small voice. "You won't sell him out?"

"If you break up with him, I won't sell you out and I will leave him alone. I promise," he said smoothly.

"How…how will you know that I broke up with him?"

He laughed at this. "Don't you know yet that I see _everything_? You can be sure, I'll know if you've broken up with him."

"Okay… I'll do it," I whispered. "I'll…I'll break up with him."

"Do I have your word?" he asked.

"Y-yes," I said, my voice trembling. "You have my word."

"Good. Have a nice day, Rose," he said before hanging up.

I stared at my phone with tears in my eyes. I didn't recognize the number. I tried to call him back, but every time I tried, I would hear a voice that said the call could not be connected. I then remembered he was probably still watching me and quickly went back inside.

When I was inside, it suddenly hit me. I had to break up with Dimitri before the end of this week. If I didn't, he would send the picture to my mom. And then it would be all over.

He really left me no choice.

* * *

**So Rose has to break up with Dimitri. Do you think she'll go through with it? And what's going on with Tasha? Why was she trying to get inside Rose's locker? **

**Please leave me a review and tell me what you think of this chapter :) **

**Have a nice day/evening. ^^ **


	29. Chapter 29

**Thank you very much for your reviews!**

**For kansas: I couldn't reply to you in a message, because you're signed in as a guest so I'm going to reply here. I've never read or heard of 'couples therapy' before so I don't know if there are similarities between my story and that one. If there are, then it's a coincidence. Before I started writing this story, I planned everything out. I would _never _copy things of someone else's work (I think that was what you were implying with your review). Besides, I barely have time to read stories on Fanfiction, because I put all my free time(or, well, at least most of my free time) in writing this story. I just thought I should let you know, because I was kind of upset about it that someone would think that. **

**Okay, now on with the chapter :) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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**CHAPTER 29**

**DPOV**

When I called Roza later that night, she sounded a little off. I thought she might still be angry because I didn't believe Tasha was behind the notes, but she assured me she wasn't angry. I couldn't help but feel that something was wrong, though. I asked her about it, but she said that everything was okay. I let it go. Maybe I was just imagining things.

But when I saw her in my class the next day, she looked like she hadn't slept at all. She had bags under her eyes and she looked very pale. I knew I shouldn't say anything to her, but I couldn't help myself. After class I hurriedly left the classroom to catch up with her.

"Rose!"

She stopped walking and turned around and gave me an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I can't talk right now. I need to go to my next class."

The next class wouldn't start until after fifteen minutes. Now I was sure something was up. Or maybe she just didn't want anyone to see us talking. But the hall was empty right now.

"Rose, wait," I said, grabbing her arm. "What's going on?"

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You look like you haven't slept all night," I said as I looked at her with worry. "Did something happen?"

She averted her eyes. "No, everything's fine. Just had a bad night, I guess." She looked up at me and sighed. "Look, I really have to go now. And it's better if nobody sees us."

"Rose…"

Without another word, she turned around and walked away. I stared after her, confused. What did just happen? I knew we needed to keep a low profile, but it wasn't like I couldn't talk to her anymore at all. I mean, we were just talking. It was not like I was kissing her in the hallway for everyone to see. Then why did she act so weird all of a sudden?

"Dimka."

I groaned inwardly when I heard that voice. Reluctantly, I turned around and saw Tasha approaching me. Great. I hoped she hadn't heard anything.

"Hey, are you alright?" she asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine," I said.

"You sure?" She gave me a hesitant look before she continued, "I just saw you talking to Rose…"

_Wonderful._ "Yeah, so?" I said gruffly.

Tasha shrugged. "I thought that maybe…"

"That maybe what?" I snapped.

She looked taken aback. "Nothing… It just didn't look like it wasn't a pleasant conversation."

"Not that it's any of your business, but we were talking about an assignment," I lied.

"Oh okay…" Tasha said. I was about to leave, but then she continued, "She really seems to like you."

I froze and looked at her. "Why'd you think that?"

"You guys talk a lot," she said shrugging. "And she always smiles when she sees you."

"Rose smiles at everybody," I replied. "That's just how she is."

"Uh-huh. I guess. But you seem to like her, too."

"Yeah, well, she's a good student and a kind person. Everyone likes her," I said evasively.

"Sure, sure," Tasha said smiling. "She's indeed a nice girl."

"I need to go," I said.

"Okay. Talk to you later," she responded cheerfully.

I quickly walked away from her before she decided to accompany me. Her questions had made me suspicious. Maybe Roza was right after all. I wasn't sure, though. Maybe she was being her curious self again. Nonetheless, I would definitely keep an eye on Tasha from now on.

**RPOV**

Every time I saw Dimitri in the hallway, I felt guilty. He would smile at me, but I would just look away. I knew that if I didn't break up with him today, I would have to do it tomorrow. I couldn't go over to him in the weekend, because I knew he would change my mind if I'd try to break up with him. If I did it in school, I could leave immediately afterwards and he wouldn't be able to stop me if he didn't want to attract someone's attention.

"Rose, are you okay?"

"Huh?" I said, snapping awake from my thoughts.

"Are you okay?" Eddie repeated.

"Yeah, sure," I said.

He frowned. "You don't look like you're okay."

I sighed.

"You know you can tell me," he said, his face grave. "I'm here for you if you need me."

"Thanks, Eddie," I said. I let out another sigh and then decided I should just tell him. I needed to get it off my chest. "Actually, I'd like to talk to you."

"About the thing that's bothering you?" he asked.

I nodded and glanced around, but there was nobody nearby. I sat down on the bottom of the stairs and Eddie sat down next to me. Taking a deep breath, I started telling him about the anonymous caller and that I had to break up with Dimitri by the end of the week.

"Are you going to tell him the truth?" Eddie asked after I'd finished.

"I don't know," I said, covering my face in my hands. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do." I gave a humorless laugh. "Well, I know what to do. I just don't know if I _can_ do it."

Eddie put his arm around my shoulders. "I'm sorry, Rose. I wish there was something I could do…"

"Don't apologize," I said, leaning my head against his shoulder. "It's not your fault."

"When are you going to tell him?" he asked. "I mean, you don't have many days left…"

"I should tell him today," I said sighing, "but I don't know if I can."

"It'll be okay," Eddie said soothingly. "He'll understand."

"I hope so," I mumbled.

I ended up not telling Dimitri that day. I couldn't find the courage to do it. I knew I was only making it worse by delaying it – not only for myself, but also for him. He knew something was up. He'd noticed it from the first moment he'd seen me today. He was probably worried sick now and there was nothing I could do to ease his worry.

The next morning, I dreaded to go to school. I wanted to stay home and pretend to be sick, but that would be cowardly. I needed to do this. If I didn't, Dimitri's life would be ruined. The day passed in a blur and all too soon it was time to face Dimitri.

I stayed at my desk after his class had ended and waited until the other students had left the room. Eddie gave me an encouraging smile before leaving. I finally got up and walked toward Dimitri. He hadn't even noticed I was still here.

"Oh, Rose," he said, surprised. "What…what are you still doing here? I thought that we wouldn't be seeing each other at school anymore…"

I nodded. "I know. I just need to talk to you for a sec. If that's okay for you?" I added.

"Are you finally going to tell me what's been going on these past few days?" he said.

I averted my eyes. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you straight away, but… I needed to think."

"About what?" he asked warily.

"About…"

The words wouldn't come out. I couldn't do it. I just couldn't do it. I couldn't break up with him. But I had to. I needed to tell him it was over. If I wanted to protect him, I needed to say it.

"Roza, please," Dimitri said pleadingly and he took my hand in his. "Tell me what's going on. I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong."

I wanted to cry, but I needed to stay strong. If I'd start to cry, he would try to comfort me and then I would never get the words out.

I took a deep breath and said, "Someone's been calling me lately." He stiffened. Suddenly, he looked very tense. "At first, he wouldn't say anything," I continued. "I would just hear him breathing into the phone."

"Roza, why didn't you tell me this before?" he said, disappointed. "This shouldn't be the first time I heard this."

"I know. I'm sorry," I said apologetically. "I didn't want to worry you."

His face softened a little. "I understand, but I need to know these things. I can't help you if you won't tell me."

I nodded. "Sorry," I repeated. He gave my hand a gentle squeeze and I sighed. He probably thought I'd been so distant because of this and that now I'd told him, everything would be okay again, but I hadn't told him the worst part yet. "Anyway, he called again this Wednesday and I was tired of his games, so I told him he should stop calling if he wasn't going to say anything. And then he finally did."

Dimitri's grip on my hand tightened. "What did he say?"

"He threatened to sell us out to my mom."

"He doesn't have any proof," he said gruffly.

I looked up at him and regretted I had to say this. "He does, Dimitri."

He stared at me in disbelief. "What?" he said at last. "What kind of proof?"

"At first, I didn't believe him, but he told me to open the front door," I said. "I did what he asked and I saw a picture on the ground. It was one of us in your car when you dropped me off at my house."

Dimitri frowned. "How…?"

"He must've been watching us," I said, suppressing a shiver.

He let out a deep sigh. "Is this why you have been acting so different the last couple of days?" he said.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I didn't know how to tell you this. I thought the calls would stop, but it only got worse. Dimitri, when he called me…he could see me. He was there. At my house," I said with a hint of panic in my voice. "I couldn't see him, but he was there. Watching me."

Dimitri's jaw clenched. He muttered something in Russian - it sounded a lot like a curse word - and then he said to me, "You really should've told me sooner. Why did you wait so long to tell me?"

"Because you can't do anything about it. And neither can I." I sighed. "If we want him to stop, we'll have to do what he wants."

"What are you trying to say?" he said hesitantly. "You don't mean that we should...that we should break up, right?" I looked down and he continued, his voice trembling, "Roza, what did he tell you to do? What is it that he wants?"

I looked up at him as tears filled my eyes. "He wants us to break up. If we don't, he'll send the picture to my mom and then it's over. You'll get in lots of trouble."

"He's bluffing. He wouldn't-" Dimitri started.

"He's being serious, Dimitri," I interrupted. "This is our last chance."

He shook his head. "No. _No_, Roza."

"You will lose your job. Your reputation will be ruined. All because of me. I don't want that. We don't have a choice. We _have_ to break up."

"No, Roza, don't say that," he said desperately, taking a step closer to me. "We just need to figure this out… We can't give up now. It's only a few weeks until graduation."

"No, Dimitri," I said, my voice trembling. If I didn't get out of here soon, I was going to break down in front of him. "He'll know. He'll find out we're still together. He always finds out… It's too dangerous. You risk way too much for me. I can't let you do that anymore."

He looked determined as he said, "I do not care about my job or my reputation. I care about _you_."

"You say that now, but when it happens…" I shook my head. "I love you too much to let you ruin your life so that's why I'm doing this. We should've broken up a long time. Hell, we should've never gotten together. Then this would've never happened." I sighed and shook my head. "It was stupid to think that we wouldn't get caught."

Dimitri looked at me, shocked. I could see the hurt in his eyes and it tore at my heart. "You don't mean that," he whispered.

"I do. It's over," I choked out.

"No… You can't do this. Not now. We've come so far," he said. Pain edged his voice. "Don't say it's over, Roza… I love you."

He reached out to me, taking my face in his hands as he tried to kiss me, but I shook my head and pushed him away. Finally, the tears started streaming down my face.

His voice broke. "Y-you don't mean this." He moved closer to me again and grabbed my hands. "You can't do this, Roza. Not after everything that's happened between us."

A sob escaped my throat. "I don't have a choice, Dimitri. I don't want to, but I have to." I moved away from him and then took the bracelet he'd given me off. I'd worn it since the day he'd given it to me. It would be weird to not see it anymore on my wrist every day. "Here. You should give it to someone who can make you happy."

"No," he said, resolute. "It was a gift. It's yours. Keep it. Besides, you're the only one who can make me happy. It belongs to you."

Why did he keep doing this to me? He kept saying these sweet things. It only made it so much harder. He looked at me, desperate, and grabbed my hand again. It looked like he was going to try to convince me again to work it out, to stay together…

"No, don't," I whispered. I held back another sob. "I'd feel so guilty if you'd lose your job because of me. Even though I love you with all my heart, I can't do this anymore."

When I looked up into his brown eyes, the eyes I'd come to love so much, I burst out into tears. Pulling away from him, I grabbed my stuff and sprinted out of the classroom.

* * *

**Don't shoot me! Please. It might look bad for Rose and Dimitri right now, but I always love a happy ending. So don't worry too much, because that's what you guys are going to get. A happy ending. I promise. **

**I already started working on the next chapter, so it's probably going to be up by the end of the weekend - or maybe Monday. :) **

**Please leave a review and have a nice weekend ! ;)**


	30. Chapter 30

**Thanks for all the reviews! :) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 30**

**RPOV**

I spent the rest of the night in front of the TV with a jar of ice cream. I know I should be studying, but there was no way I could concentrate now. My mom hadn't been here when I'd come home so I'd let myself cry. It took me over an hour to stop and now my eyes were all red and puffy. At last, the door opened and my mom entered. I quickly wiped at my eyes, hoping she wouldn't notice I'd cried.

"Mom, where were you?" I said. "I thought you'd be home."

"I'm sorry, sweetie," she said. "I went out with a friend this afternoon, but I forgot to tell you." She gave me an apologetic smile. "I just came home to get ready for work. I'm sorry I didn't call-" She suddenly fell silent when she got a good look at my face. "Rose, have you been crying?" she asked, worried.

"I'm fine," I replied. I sounded like I had a bad cold.

"Rose, you're not fine. I can see it," she said. She walked over to me and sat down beside me. "What happened?"

I shrugged. "I just had a bad day. That's all."

"Did you have a fight with someone?"

I shook my head. "No, just a bad day," I repeated.

Mom put her arm around my shoulder in a comforting way. "Are you sure it isn't something else? You know you can tell me."

"No, there's nothing else." I gave her a small smile. "Don't worry about me, Mom. It was just a tough day."

She gave me a doubtful look, but at last she said, "Okay. You going to be okay here all alone? Maybe you could ask Lissa or Eddie to come over?"

"No, no," I said quickly. "I'll be okay on my own."

"You sure?"

I nodded. "Yes. Don't worry about me."

She sighed. "Fine then. But if something's wrong, you have to call me."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and said, "Yes, I know. You keep reminding every day."

"Okay. Well, I have to get ready." She gave me a quick kiss on my head and got up. "I'll see you tomorrow morning. Good night."

"Bye," I mumbled.

She left and I let out a sigh of relief. I was kind of glad she had to work tonight, because I really wanted to be alone right now. Eddie had called me earlier this evening to ask if I was okay and I'd told him everything. Afterwards, I'd felt relieved I'd been able to tell someone how I felt. I was so glad to have him back as my friend.

I started watching another movie. Halfway through it, I fell asleep, but the ringing of my phone woke me up. I glanced at the clock and saw it was a little past eleven. The movie credits were rolling. I had slept for over an hour.

"Hello?" I said groggily into the phone.

I didn't get an answer right away and for one scary moment I thought it was that creep again. But then I heard his voice and my heart almost broke.

"Roza?"

"Dimitri?" I whispered.

Why did I always forget to look at the caller ID before answering the phone? If I'd known it would be him, I wouldn't have answered the phone.

"I… I'm sorry for calling you on this hour, but… I… I wanted to hear your voice."

I had to concentrate to understand what he was saying. There was a lot of noise in the background. I suddenly wondered where he was.

"You were right," he said. "Y-you were right to break up with me. I should've known better. I should've been the responsible one… I'm sorry…"

He was talking incoherently and the noises in the background weren't making it easier to hear what he was saying. It finally dawned on me that he was at a bar or a café and that he'd probably had a few drinks.

"Where are you?" I asked.

He didn't respond.

"Dimitri, where are you?" I repeated.

He finally responded and told me where he was.

"Stay where you are," I said. "I'm coming over."

I quickly got up and sprinted upstairs to get my purse. As I put on my jacket, I walked to the backdoor. It might be possible my stalker - or whatever I should call him - was watching me again tonight and I didn't want him to see me leave through the front door. If he saw me leaving, he would probably follow me. I couldn't take that risk.

So instead, I slipped out of the backdoor and crossed my yard. I hoisted myself up on the wall and jumped off into my neighbor's backyard. I prayed they were already asleep. If they'd see me, I was screwed. From there, I got to their other neighbor's backyard. I took out my cellphone and used it as a flashlight. When I thought it was safe enough to walk on the street, I headed to the front of the house. Before opening the gate quietly, I put my phone in my jacket again. I was about ten feet away from my house now. I hoped that was enough.

As I walked down the street, I looked over my shoulder to see if someone was following me, but there was nobody there. Good. I quickened my pace and when I got to the next street, I started running toward Eddie's house. When I arrived there, I took out my cell phone again and called him, hoping he'd still be awake. I guess this was my lucky night, because he answered the phone immediately.

"Rose, is something wrong?" he said, his voice edged with worry. "Did something happen?"

I couldn't help but smile. He was always so worried about me. "I need a favor," I said. "Are your parents asleep?"

It was silent for a while. "Yes," he said at last.

"Do you think you can sneak out without waking them up?"

"Umm… I think so," he said. "What's going on, Rose?"

"Well, I'm at your house right now and I was wondering if you could drive me to town," I said hesitantly.

"What? Why?"

I told him what happened with Dimitri and why I wanted to go to town.

"Are you crazy?" Eddie hissed.

"Please," I begged. "If I had a car, I wouldn't have bothered you, but my mom took it to work… You're the only one who can help me. And…he needs me."

"Fine," he grumbled. "I'm coming down."

He disconnected and I waited impatiently at the front door. After a few minutes the door opened and Eddie joined me outside.

"Thank you," I said. "I owe you one."

"Yeah, yeah. It's fine. Let's just hope my parents won't find out," he muttered.

"If they do, I'll take the blame," I said. "I'll tell them I forced you."

"You don't have to do that."

The drive to town didn't take long, but it couldn't be fast enough for me. When we got there, I thanked Eddie again. At first, he wanted to come with me, but I told him I needed to do this alone. He finally gave in and let me go.

I hoped Dimitri was still where he said he was. When I got there, I looked through the window and saw him sitting at the bar. I let out a sigh of relief and walked in. It was really crowded and the noise was deafening. I quickly made my way to Dimitri, who was downing a drink. I pushed some people aside and stopped beside him.

"Dimitri," I said, grabbing his arm.

His face snapped up at me and his eyes widened when he saw me.

"Roza?" he said, sounding surprised. "What…what are you doing here?"

"I told you I was coming over," I said, tugging at his arm. "Come on. Let's get out of here."

"W-why did you come here?" he asked as he got up. He swayed a little on his feet and quickly grabbed the bar stool. "I…I thought you didn't want to see me anymore."

"You need to go home, Dimitri," I said.

"But-"

"Please, Dimitri, let me take you home," I pleaded. "Getting drunk is not going to make things easier."

"Is she your girl? She is really hot," someone suddenly said. It was a guy who sat next to Dimitri at the bar. He took another sip of his drink and hiccupped. "If my girlfriend had a body like hers…" He winked at me. I tried not to make a face. "I'd trade my girl any day for yours…"

"Don't talk about her like that," Dimitri snapped.

The guy reached out to me. "It's just the truth."

Dimitri moved in front of me and growled, "Do _not_ touch her!"

"Dimitri, let's go," I begged, tugging at his arm again.

But he didn't hear me. He was still glaring at that drunk guy. Noticing how much this angered Dimitri, the guy decided to taunt him even more.

"You don't want to share her with me?" he said grinning. "I'll even pay. It's been a while since I had a good lay."

Before he'd even finished his sentence, Dimitri had grabbed him by his collar and shoved him against the wall. I looked around, but nobody noticed us. It was so crowded here and everyone was busy talking and drinking that they didn't even notice that two men were about to fight.

"Dimitri, don't," I hissed. "Just let it go. He's drunk. He doesn't know what he's saying," I said, fixing the man with a glare. "Just come with me. Please."

Dimitri relaxed slightly and let the man go. He turned to me and nodded. I sighed in relief and took his hand.

"Let's go," I said softly.

"Hey, if you ever want to know how it is to be with a real man… my door is always open!"

Dimitri went rigid and slowly turned around, his eyes blazing. Before I could stop him, he punched the guy in the face.

"Dimitri, no!" I screamed.

I pulled at his arm, in an attempt to stop him from punching the guy again. It was like he even didn't notice me. I quickly moved in front of him and saw how pissed off he looked. I gulped. I'd seen that face once before and it was when he'd slammed Jesse against a brick wall.

"Don't. He isn't worth it." Slowly, he looked down at me. "He isn't worth the trouble, Dimitri."

Holding his nose, the man looked at Dimitri angrily and exclaimed, "You're crazy!"

People were finally starting to notice something was wrong and they all stared in our direction when the drunk man started to curse at Dimitri.

"Please, let's go," I begged. I pushed against his chest, but he wouldn't budge. He still looked furious. "Dimitri!"

I gave another push and he finally looked away from the man and started moving. A couple of people were staring from Dimitri to the man. I hurriedly put some cash on the bar and took Dimitri's arm, pulling him with me. I opened the door for him and followed him outside. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes briefly.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

He shrugged.

"You shouldn't have punched that guy."

He opened his eyes to look at me. "He deserved it," he muttered. "The things he said about you…"

"He's drunk. So are you."

Dimitri didn't deny it.

I sighed. "Why did you drink so much? It isn't going to solve anything."

"I know," he mumbled. He looked at me again, pain in his eyes. "I'm… I'm sorry, Roza. I shouldn't have called you. I should've left you alone. But I… I missed you." He looked miserable. "I'm sorry."

"Shh, it's okay," I said soothingly. "Let's get you home now."

I walked over to him and helped him up. He was stumbling a bit – I didn't want to know how much he'd actually drunk tonight – and as we walked to his apartment, he kept apologizing for his behavior. It took us some time to get there. I was relieved when we finally got to his apartment door. I took his spare key from under the doormat and opened the door for him. I followed him to his bedroom and pushed him gently down on the bed.

"You should sleep," I said.

He shook his head. "No…"

"Yes. You need to sleep it off."

He sighed and buried his face in his hands. I sat down beside him and started to help him take off his duster. After that, I took off his shoes and socks and managed to get him to lie down.

"You want a glass of water?"

He nodded and I went to fetch him water in the kitchen. I was glad he was still in bed when I got back. He looked like he was ready to pass out.

"You going to be okay?" I asked softly as I stroked his cheek.

I didn't know if it was a good idea to leave him alone in this state, but I couldn't stay here forever. I needed to get home.

He took my hand in his and looked up into my eyes. I could see the hurt in them. I'd never seen him so vulnerable, so in pain before. And it was my fault he felt like this. It was my fault he was drunk now. It was all my fault, because I'd hurt him so much. I'd broken him. It made me want to cry again, but I stayed strong. Barely.

"You're so beautiful, it hurts me," he whispered. His voice was thick and his accent was much stronger now. "I should've told you more often how beautiful you are. Now it's too late."

Tears filled my eyes and I squeezed his hand gently. "Go to sleep," I said softly.

I leaned forward and pressed my lips against his forehead. When I pulled back, I saw a glimmer of hope in his eyes. Suddenly, he moved his face to mine and his lips touched mine. I wanted to kiss him back, but then I remembered I'd broken up with him for a reason. I quickly pulled away from him.

The pain in his eyes returned and he let his head fall against his pillow. "I'm sorry," he said hoarsely. "I shouldn't have done that. I just…wanted to kiss you one last time."

"It's okay," I whispered. I wanted to throw myself in his arms and tell him we could still be together, that he should forget about what I'd said earlier today, but I couldn't…

I sighed and started to get up, but he grabbed my hand again.

"Please don't go," he whispered pleadingly.

I looked at him, filled with doubt. I really should just go, but I couldn't leave him here like that. At last, I said, "Okay, I'll stay."

I kicked off my shoes and Dimitri moved so I could lie down next to him. I pulled the covers over us and faced Dimitri. His hand found mine under the covers and he intertwined our fingers.

"You should really try to sleep now," I said softly.

He nodded and closed his eyes. I watched him as he fell asleep and after a while, I fell asleep myself. Hours later I woke up with Dimitri's head on my chest. Light was shining through the curtains. It was dawn already. I sighed. I really needed to go home.

Carefully, I moved away from Dimitri. He stirred and mumbled my name, but didn't wake up. I got up and put on my shoes. Before leaving, I wrote him a short note and left it on his bedside table. He was still fast asleep. Glancing at his beautiful face one last time, I shut the door behind me and headed home.

**DPOV**

I woke up with a massive headache. Groaning, I rolled over to the other side and stretched my arm in search for Roza. When I didn't find anyone beside me, I opened my eyes and saw that she was gone. I let out a sigh. What had I expected? That she'd stay? After how I'd behaved last night, it would be a miracle if she ever wanted to talk to me again.

I should've never called her. I should've just left her alone, but I hadn't been thinking straight last night. I'd behaved like a complete fool. I was lucky Roza had come to take me home. God knows where I'd ended up after having so many drinks.

It took me a while to remember everything that had happened yesterday, but I remembered going to the first café that had crossed my path after Rose'd broken up with me. I also vaguely remembered punching some guy after Rose had showed up there. He'd deserved it, though. He'd said some offensive things to her and I couldn't tolerate that. Nonetheless, I must've been really drunk, because Rose had had to practically drag me back to my apartment.

I recalled kissing Roza, too. Even though I'd really wanted to in that moment, I really shouldn't have done it. It hadn't made the situation easier and when she'd rejected me, it had hurt badly. Not that I'd expected her to kiss me back or anything. I mean, she'd broken up with me for a reason. I really had behaved like a fool last night. If only I hadn't drunk so much…

I'd thought that the vodka would help me drown my sorrows, but it hadn't helped one bit. I knew Rose had been right to break up with me, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt. When she'd come to me yesterday and told me it was over… Yeah, that had hurt pretty much. And I knew I should've let it go, but instead I'd begged her not to break up with me. I couldn't believe how selfish I'd become over the past few months. All I wanted was Rose. I didn't care anymore about my job, my reputation… I just wanted to be with her. She was all that mattered to me.

But I guess it was better this way. If this anonymous caller would really tell her mom and give her the picture, the school would probably find out, too, and then I'd be screwed. And Rose, too.

I wished nobody had ever found out about us. Maybe we'd still be together then. But now I'd lost her and I didn't think I'd ever get her back. This person who'd been calling her had spooked her a lot – just thinking about it made me so angry.

Letting out another sigh, I moved over to the side where Rose had lain last night. The pillow smelled just like her. I closed my eyes and imagined her being here with me, just like last week. If I'd known back then that a week later we wouldn't be together anymore, I would've never let her go.

My headache was killing me so I decided to get up and take an aspirin, vowing to myself to never drink again. When I came back five minutes later, I noticed a piece of paper lying on my nightstand. Frowning, I took it and started to read it. It was from Roza.

_Dear Dimitri,_

_I'm sorry I left without saying goodbye. You were still sleeping and I didn't want to disturb you. I would've stayed to make sure you're okay, but I really needed to go home. _

_I don't really have a right to ask you, but can you promise me to not get drunk again? It broke my heart seeing you like this, knowing it's all my fault. I was so worried about you and I didn't know what to do to help you. Again, I'm sorry. For everything. _

_I know I shouldn't write this, because it's only going to make things harder, but you have to know that I love you. I always will. _

_Take care. _

_Rose_

Tears formed in my eyes as I read the letter. Before I knew it, they were running down my cheeks. Oh God, I was unbelievable. I barely recognized myself. I wasn't one to cry. I never did. But I loved Roza so much and losing her… It was my worst nightmare come true.

The rest of the day I spent in bed staring at the ceiling, feeling numb. At long last, I fell asleep again. I woke up a couple of times, but it didn't take me long to fall back asleep. Roza haunted my dreams, but I didn't mind. It was better than being awake and being without her.

"Dimitri…"

Someone was shaking my shoulder and calling my name.

"Dimitri, wake up!"

My eyes snapped open and I looked around, bewildered. "Roza?" I said, blinking.

"No, it's Sonya!"

I blinked again and looked up at my sister. "Oh."

"What the hell is going on with you?"

"What are you doing here?" I grumbled. "How did you even get in?"

"Spare key," she replied.

I lay back down and sighed. "I really should hide my spare key somewhere else."

She glared at me. "What's going on, Dimitri? Why didn't you answer my calls? And why are you still in bed?"

"Still? How late is it?" I asked frowning.

"Eleven in the morning."

"Which day is it?"

"Sunday." Sonya gave me a funny look. "Did you hit your head or what?"

"No. Now please leave me alone," I mumbled, turning away from her.

"I'm not going anywhere without you. It's Vika's birthday, remember? We're supposed to be there in an hour!"

I groaned. I'd completely forgotten about that. "Just go without me. I'm not feeling well."

"You can't do that to Vika!" Sonya exclaimed. I didn't answer. "What happened, Dimitri? What's going on?" she continued, her voice softer this time. "Does it have something to do with Rose?"

I turned back to her and nodded. "She broke up with me," I said softly.

She frowned. "Why?"

I didn't want to tell her about the notes and about the anonymous caller so I just said, "She doesn't want me to lose my job."

"Finally. It took her a long time to realize this was the right thing to do."

I glared at her and she sighed.

"Look, there's nothing you can do about it. She broke up with you and you'll just have to move in. You can't hole up in your room because it's over." I wanted to say something, but she quickly added, "Yes, yes. I know you love her and all that, but this isn't going to help, Dimka. Moping around won't do you any good. Now be a man and get up! We have a party to attend."

I hated to admit it, but I knew she was right. "Fine. I'm getting up."

"You have about half an hour to shower and get dressed. And you really should shave," she added. "You look awful."

"Thanks," I muttered. "Will you please stop bossing me around?"

"Fine. Just make sure you're ready," she said. "And Dimitri…"

I glanced at her and gave her a questioning look.

"I know you loved her and that this is hard for you," she started, "but you can't change anything about it now. So…just try to move on, okay?"

I could see she was sincere and that she was actually worried about me.

"Yeah, I will. Don't worry," I said, giving her a small smile.

Or at least, I would try. It wouldn't be easy, though.

* * *

**Poor Dimitri. He didn't take the break up well. Luckily, Rose was there to help him. ****You think she'll be able to stay away from him, even though she broke up with him? Let me know what you think of the chapter ;)**

**Have a nice day/evening ! :) **


	31. Chapter 31

**Thank you for all the reviews! ^^ **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 31**

**RPOV**

I tried to think as little as possible about Dimitri the next few days. It was hard, though, and the phone call on Monday morning didn't make it easier.

"Did you do it?"

I immediately knew who it was.

"Yes," I snapped. "It's over! I broke up with him. Are you happy now?"

"Good. I'm glad," he said, calm.

"I don't get why you'd still ask!" I said angrily. "You always know everything so why ask? Are you doing this to taunt me?"

"I just wanted to hear it from you."

_Asshole_, I thought. "Are you going to leave us alone now?"

"Of course," he replied smoothly. "I promised you I would. This is the last time you'll hear from me. Goodbye, Rose."

He disconnected and I sighed in relief. I hoped he was telling the truth and would leave us alone now.

At school, I did my best to avoid Dimitri. It was easier than I thought, because finals had started. I was so distracted that I didn't think too much about him. I also made sure to keep myself busy so I didn't have time to think about him. But when I was at school and I saw him walking by, our eyes always briefly met. It only lasted mere seconds, though. And every time our paths crossed, his face would be impassive. Like nothing had happened last week. Like nothing had _ever_ happened at all between us, really. It kind of made me angry that he could look so calm and uncaring when I was a mess every time I saw him. He must have made a quick recovery over the weekend. Maybe he'd realized I wasn't worth it.

_Don't think about him anymore_, I chastised myself. _It's over. Focus on school now so you can get out of here and far away from Dimitri._

After my exam, I stayed at school to study in the library with Adrian. There were a couple of other students, but not so much. Most of them studied at home. I normally did, too, but I was afraid my mind would wander off to Dimitri if I was alone in my room. I was more focused in the library and when I needed it, Adrian could distract me.

"Hey, are you okay?" he whispered after a while.

I'd told him that things were over between Dimitri and me, but I hadn't explained why we'd broken up. Luckily, he hadn't asked.

I looked up at him and nodded. "Sure."

He reached over and squeezed my hand, giving me a sympathetic smile. "If you want to talk…"

"I know," I said, giving him a small smile of my own. "Thanks."

It kind of surprised me Adrian was so supportive. I mean, he'd had a crush on me for a few months. But it seemed like he had a thing for that Sydney girl now, even though he'd only seen her once and spoken to her for five minutes.

I'd tried to talk to Lissa, too, but she'd been preoccupied. I could understand she wanted to have some time with Christian, but was it that bad to spend half an hour with me? That wasn't too much to ask, right?

"I need to go home," I said after another hour. I took my stuff and put it in my bag. "Thanks for staying here with me, Adrian."

"No problem," he said.

"You're not going?" I said, raising my eyebrows when he didn't get up.

He shook his head. "No, I think I'm going to stay here. I can't concentrate when I'm studying at home. It's going better when I study here."

"Okay," I said. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

I left the library. As I walked to the main entrance, I didn't pay too much attention to my surroundings. I really should have, because then I would've seen them. I would also have heard them if my thoughts weren't so far away. And then I would've been able to turn around and take a different route. But it was too late for that now.

"Oh hey, Rose!" Tasha exclaimed.

"Hi," I said in a tight voice.

My heart almost stopped when I looked at Dimitri, who stood next to Tasha. He glanced at me for a moment and then looked away. Again, his face showed no emotions.

"How are you?" Tasha said cheerfully.

"I'm… I'm okay," I stammered. "You?"

She smiled. "Wonderful." An awkward silence fell and I wanted to tell her that I needed to go, but then she glanced over at Dimitri and said, "Is there something wrong?"

"No," he answered.

She shrugged. "You're not saying much, that's all."

I cleared my throat. "I should go."

"Oh! Wait, Rose," Tasha suddenly said and she put her hand on my arm. I looked up at her questioningly and she continued, "Dimitri – I mean, Mr. Belikov – and I were talking about something and we can't get it sorted out so we need someone with an objective opinion."

"Tasha," Dimitri said warningly.

Tasha rolled her eyes and turned to me again. "Would you think if it's a good idea if Dimitri and I go out? _I_ think it is. But Dimka says it's not a good idea, because we're colleagues. But we have a lot of history and it's not like colleagues can't date, right? So what do _you_ think?"

I stared at her, speechless. Was she seriously asking me this? It made me think she knew about Dimitri and me breaking up and that she was rubbing it in my face now. But Dimitri had said she didn't know about us. Maybe she really just wanted an objective opinion – only I couldn't be objective. And I didn't want to be. What I wanted right now was to wipe that smile off her face. _Don't lose your cool, Rose._

"Umm… I don't know," I said at last, making sure not to look at Dimitri. "That's up to you, really. If you like each other, you should."

Tasha turned to Dimitri again, a huge grin on her face. "See?" she said triumphantly.

"Tasha, stop it," Dimitri said, clearly annoyed.

They started a discussion and they completely forgot about me. Guessing Tasha didn't need me anymore, I quickly turned and hurried to the door. I pushed it open and sprinted to the gate. Right now, I wanted to get as far away from here as I could. And I wanted to forget what just had happened. The thought of Dimitri and Tasha getting back together was too much right now. I couldn't handle it. And all the while I kept thinking, how was I ever going to get over Dimitri?

**DPOV**

I stopped arguing with Tasha when I suddenly noticed Rose was gone. Great. Well, maybe it was for the best. I couldn't handle it to even look at her, anyway. Just seeing her made my heart break all over again. And to be honest, I was a little embarrassed about what had happened last weekend. And Tasha had only made it worse with her stupid question.

"Hey, where did Rose go?" she suddenly noted.

"Why did you do that?" I growled.

"Do what?" Tasha asked.

"You know what!" I exclaimed. "Why did you ask her opinion?"

She frowned. "Why not?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Why not?" I repeated. "Are you kidding me?"

"I don't see why you're making a fuss about this, Dimka," she said.

"Because she's a student, Tasha!" I snapped. _And because I don't want Roza to think that I want to go out with you_, I added silently. "These are private matters and not for everyone else to know!"

"Jeez, relax, Dimka," Tasha said, rolling her eyes. "It's only Rose."

"No," I said angrily. "You really have to stop this, Tasha. I don't want to go out with you. Not now. Not ever. We are over." She stared at me, taken aback. I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. "I would really appreciate it if you don't involve students – or anyone else – in this. Now please let it go. I don't want to go out with you and I won't change my mind about it."

She looked hurt. "But why? Are you still mad about what happened with Brad?"

"No," I responded. "I just don't feel that way about you anymore."

"But…"

"What did you expect? That I was going to wait until you came back? After you cheated on me and left with Brad?" I shook my head slightly. "I moved on, Tasha. And you need to do the same."

I started walking away, but Tasha said, "Are you in love with someone else?"

I didn't respond. I just kept walking. She didn't follow me and I let out a sigh of relief. I couldn't believe what she'd just done! Asking Rose if it was a good idea if we'd go out… Was she insane? Rose was not only a student, she was also the woman I loved. I couldn't imagine how much this must have hurt Roza – if she still cared about me, of course.

I didn't hear from Tasha the rest of the day, which I was glad for. Maybe she'd finally understood we would never get back together. I did get an unexpected visitor, though. When I opened the door, I was surprised to see it was Ivan.

"Hey," he said smiling. "Mind if I come in?" I stepped aside and he entered. Before I could say something, he turned to me with a worried look on his face and asked, "How are you feeling?"

I frowned. "I'm fine. Why are you asking? And why are you looking at me like that?"

He shrugged. "Sonya called me," he admitted. "She told me you were having a hard time at the moment and she asked if I could come over to you to keep you company."

"I don't need a babysitter," I said, a little outraged. "I'm perfectly fine."

"I know that," Ivan said, "but I thought we could just hang out. And maybe…you could tell me what's been going on with you?"

"I don't know," I said after a few moments of silence. "It's complicated."

"Well, you could try?" he suggested. "Maybe I can help."

"I doubt that," I said. "What else did Sonya tell you?"

"Something about a woman," he said. "That she broke up with you and that it was the reason why you're feeling so down lately."

"Great," I muttered. Sighing, I sat down on the couch. "Was that it or did she tell you the whole story?"

I didn't really think she had told him everything, because then he would've probably scolded me for dating one of my students.

"No. That's all I know," he said and he sat down, too. "Do you want to tell me what happened?"

"You already know. Thanks to Sonya."

"Yeah, but…" He cut himself off and sighed, clearly frustrated. "I didn't even know you were seeing someone. Why didn't you tell me? Why were you keeping it a secret?"

"Like I said, it's complicated," I said.

"It can't be that complicated, right?" he said frowning.

"Well, it is."

"So, why did you guys break up?" Ivan asked. I opened my mouth to repeat myself again, but he quickly said, "Never mind. It's probably complicated, huh?"

I nodded.

"Did you love her?" he asked.

"Yes. I still do," I said quietly. "She was the one for me."

Ivan looked up at me, surprised. "Really?"

I smiled ruefully. "Yeah. If there's someone I would want to marry, it's her."

I had to admit, I'd been thinking about it sometimes and it was true. She was the only one I would ever want to marry. She meant everything to me and I loved her so, so much. I knew that I would never be able to love anyone as much as I loved her.

"Wow. You must really love her, then."

I didn't say anything. I didn't need to. He could read it off my face.

"Can't you guys work it out and get back together?"

"I'm afraid that's not possible."

"Because it's complicated?"

"Yes." I sighed. "Look, Ivan, I can't really talk about it. It's not that I don't want to, but I just can't. It's better that you don't know, anyway."

Ivan looked very worried right now. "Are you in some kind of trouble?"

"No, not really," I said evasively.

"You're being very cryptic," he noted, frowning.

"Sorry," I said apologetically. Another silence fell and at last I said, "I appreciate you coming by, but I'm fine. Really."

"I hope so," Ivan said. "But from what I just heard…"

"Don't worry about it," I said. "It's my problem and I'll deal with it."

"Okay," he said, rather hesitant. "But if you'd still like to talk about it… my door is always open."

"I know. Thanks," I said, giving him a small smile.

Sighing, Ivan got up and made his way to the door. "I've got to go back to Sarah. She doesn't even know I'm here."

"Tell her I said hi," I said, following him to the door.

He nodded and was about to walk away, but then he turned back to me. I gave him a questioning look.

"I don't get it," he suddenly said. "Why don't you fight for her? I know, you already said it's complicated, but you love her."

Maybe he was right. Maybe I shouldn't give up so quickly. Maybe I could try to change her mind. I didn't think now would be a good time to do that, but maybe I could talk to her after graduation. Then I wouldn't be her teacher anymore and that guy, the anonymous caller, wouldn't have anything against us. Except for a picture. But pictures could be taken at any moment, right? If he showed it to anyone, we could tell them it was taken after graduation.

But Roza had made it very clear that it was over between us. Talking to her wouldn't change her mind. She'd been very determined about us breaking up. I would only end up with a broken heart – again. It was better if I'd move on, like I'd told Sonya I would do. So far, that hadn't been a success, though.

"Yes, I do. But it's not that easy," I said at last.

"Does she love you?" Ivan asked.

"Yes," I said, a little hesitant. "At least, I think so."

"Then fight for her!"

"If I knew I could get her back, I would. But I can't, Ivan."

"So you're just going to let her go? You're going to let her walk out of your life?"

"I don't think I have a choice."

"You always have a choice, Dimitri," Ivan said.

He nodded curtly and abruptly turned around, leaving me in the doorway, dumbfounded.

* * *

**Tasha doesn't really seem to get the message. Why do you think she asked Rose her opinion? Could it be that she's onto them and just wanted to see Rose's reaction? ****And what will Dimitri do? Give Rose up or fight for her? ****Please leave me a review and let me know what you think ;) **

**Have a nice day/evening! ^^**


	32. Chapter 32

**Thank you very much for all the reviews. You guys are the best ;)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 32**

**RPOV**

"God, I'm so glad this is over," Christian said as he leaned against the wall and closed his eyes.

Lissa stroked his hair out of his face and pressed her lips against his cheek. He looked down at her and gave her a small smile. I turned away, not wanting to see their little display of affection.

"Yeah, me too," I mumbled.

We'd had our last exam today and I thought I'd done pretty good. The last two weeks I'd focused a lot on my studies, trying to forget about Dimitri. It had worked, but now that I didn't have to study anymore I didn't know what was going to distract me from thinking about him.

"I can't believe this," Christian suddenly groaned.

"What?" Lissa said frowning.

I looked up to see what had caught Christian's attention and saw Tasha standing a few feet away. She was talking to Dimitri. Again. I suppressed a sigh and quickly looked away.

"Tasha," Christian said. "She keeps flirting with Mr. Belikov! This is like the third time this week I see them together in the hallway. I really hope she's not going to date him. That would be really awkward."

I looked up at him. "Why? They already dated in the past," I said, trying to sound careless. "What does it matter if they hook up again? By the looks of it, it is going to happen."

"They – _what_?" Christian exclaimed. "They were together? When was that?"

I shrugged. "Don't know."

I actually did, but I couldn't really tell him. That would be really suspicious.

Lissa glanced over at me and frowned. She still didn't know I'd broken up with Dimitri. She looked over at Dimitri and Tasha again and then back at me. Realization dawned on her.

"I'm going," Christian muttered. "I don't want to see this any longer." He pushed himself away from the wall and turned to Lissa. "You coming, babe?"

"Yeah, in a minute," she said, smiling sweetly at him.

He nodded and left. Lissa turned to me.

"Rose, what happened between you and Dimitri?" she said softly, not wanting anyone to hear our conversation.

"We broke up," I said flatly.

I leaned against the wall and massaged my temples. I'd barely slept the last couple of nights and I had a terrible headache at the moment. I wanted to get home as fast as possible and crawl into bed.

"Why?"

"Because I kept getting notes and calls. This person – whoever it is – wanted me to break up with Dimitri. Otherwise he'd send a picture of Dimitri and me to my mom. So I did."

"When did this happen?"

"Two weeks ago," I answered, closing my eyes.

"But…but why didn't you tell me?" she asked frowning.

My eyes snapped open and I looked at her. "I tried!" I exclaimed, suddenly outraged. "Many times! But you were always busy. If it was not with Christian, it was with something else."

"If you told me it was about Dimitri, I would've-"

"You didn't give me a chance to tell you why I wanted to talk to you," I interrupted her. "You just told me you were busy."

"I'm sorry about that," she said, biting her lip. "But we could talk now?"

I shook my head, sighing. "I don't feel like talking about it anymore. I just want to forget about it and move on. Sorry."

"But Rose…"

"No, don't. I'd rather be alone now for a while."

I moved away from her, but suddenly a wave of dizziness washed over me. My legs were shaking. I quickly put my hand against the wall for support.

"Rose, are you okay?" Lissa gasped. "You look very pale!"

"I'm fine," I mumbled. "I just need a minute."

I blinked a couple of times and took a few steps forward, but the world started to spin again.

"Maybe you should sit down?" Lissa suggested, worried.

I nodded and she helped me sit down on the floor. I closed my eyes again and leaned my head against the wall. I didn't get why I was so dizzy all of the sudden. I'd been just fine five minutes ago – except for the headache. Maybe it was the lack of sleep taking its toll on me.

"Rose, are you okay?"

I didn't respond and Lissa kept saying my name until someone crouched down beside me and grabbed my arms.

"What's wrong with her?"

My heart nearly stopped beating when I heard his voice, when I realized it were his hands holding my arms. Dimitri.

"I think she's sick…"

"Rose?" Dimitri said. "Roza, are you okay?"

I opened my eyes and looked at him when I heard him calling me Roza. _No, no, no. You can't call me that anymore._ It hurt so much, hearing him say my name like he always had when we'd been together and the way it rolled of his tongue sent a shiver down my spine.

"I'm fine," I lied.

I blinked a few times and the spots before my eyes disappeared. I tried to hide my face in my hands, but Dimitri pushed my arms down so he could look at me. "You look pale. Are you feeling sick?"

"I'm just a little dizzy and I have a headache. That's all," I said. "Don't make such a big deal of this."

"You almost fainted, Rose!" Lissa exclaimed.

Dimitri put his hand against my forehead as he looked at me with worry. "I don't think you have a fever…" He was silent for a few moments and then said: "Are you still feeling dizzy?"

"No," I said, getting angry. I didn't want him to touch me anymore. I couldn't handle it. I couldn't handle him being so close to me and not being able to let him know how much I still loved him. Tears sprung in my eyes as I looked up again. "I'm just tired. That's all. I just need to get some sleep."

I pushed his hands away. I needed to get out of here before I started crying.

"Rose, I'm just trying to help," Dimitri said.

"I don't need your help. I'm fine," I said curtly. I was glad there weren't many people in the hall anymore. It would've been embarrassing if everyone had seen Lissa and Dimitri making a scene, just because I was feeling a little dizzy. "I just need some air."

Dimitri nodded and got up. I could see he wanted to help me up, but I shook my head at him and got up myself. Slowly, though, because I didn't want to get dizzy again. My legs were still shaking a little, but I managed. Tasha was still standing a few feet away, looking at me. She probably didn't like that Dimitri had left her there to come and check on me.

"Rose…" Lissa started.

"I'm fine," I interrupted her.

And with that, I left. I was glad she didn't follow me. I didn't hear from her anymore that day. She was probably mad that I'd walked off like that, but hey, I was mad too. I always listened to her problems and helped her out, but did she ever return the favor? Okay, sometimes, she did. But only when Christian was busy with something else. But as soon as he had time for her…

It wasn't like I didn't understand that she wanted to spend time with her boyfriend. I understood that, really. But I was her best friend. And sometimes I needed her support, too, or a shoulder to cry on. We used to tell each other everything and we would do lots of things together – like going to the movies, having sleepovers – and now we would barely even talk outside of school.

Eddie also had a girlfriend, but he still spent time with me. I couldn't understand why Lissa didn't want to spend time with me anymore. It was like she only talked to me when she needed something or when something bad had happened to her. I didn't mind her coming to me – not at all. I loved to help her out, but I wanted to be able to come to her, too, when I needed someone to talk to.

I shouldn't be too hard on her, though. Because just now, she'd proven she cared about me. And I'd just walked off. I guess I wasn't really acting like a best friend either.

The next day I had to get up early, because I'd promised Jill I would go shopping with her today. She was going to prom with Eddie, but she still didn't have a dress. I guess she'd waited a little too long. She'd called me a few days ago, panicked, and told me she really needed help picking out a dress. I'd told her it was better if she'd go with Lissa, but Jill had retorted that Lissa probably wouldn't have any time. I hadn't argued, because Jill was probably right about that.

I was glad I was feeling better. I'd slept a lot last night and it had helped. It really must've been the lack of sleep that had made me so dizzy all of a sudden.

When I got to the mall, Jill was already waiting for me at the entrance. A girl with blond hair stood beside her. She looked kind of familiar and as I walked toward them, I realized it was Jill's cousin.

"Hey," I said as I came to a stop in front of them.

"Hey Rose!" Jill greeted excitedly. "Thanks for doing this. I know I shouldn't have waited this long, but I kind of forgot about it and yeah… oh, have you met my cousin yet? Her name is Sydney."

Sydney gave me a small smile and said, "Hi."

"Hi," I said, returning her smile. "My name is Rose. But you probably figured that out already."

"Yeah," she said.

"So, shall we go inside?" I said, looking back at Jill. "We're not going to find you a dress if we keep standing here."

We went from store to store, in search for the perfect dress for Jill. It was quite the job to find something good for her, because Sydney and I both had different taste in clothes. And Jill had to like it, too. When we'd finally found a dress the three of us could agree on, Jill went to try it on.

"So…which school do you go to?" I asked to fill up the silence. "I mean, you're seventeen or eighteen, right?"

"I don't go to school. I got homeschooled," she replied.

"Oh. How was that like?" I asked.

"It was okay."

We fell silent again and I tried to come up with something to talk about. I didn't like these awkward silences. It didn't seem to bother Sydney, though.

"Do you remember Adrian?" I asked at last.

She frowned. "No. Who is he?"

"Umm… That day you came to pick up Jill at school, this guy came up to you and-"

"Oh, yeah. Now I remember," Sydney said, nodding. "What about him?"

"Well, he really likes you," I said.

"Why would he like me? He doesn't know me," she said, sounding surprised.

"But he'd really like to get to know you," I said, giving her a small smile. "Maybe…maybe you could give him a chance and go out with him some time?"

"But I don't know him," she said. "He could be a serial killer for all I know!"

I raised my eyebrows at her small outburst. "Take it easy. I can assure you he's not a serial killer. In fact, he's a really sweet guy. You just have to give him a chance."

"Then why don't you go out with him?" she retorted.

"Because I'm in love with someone else," I said honestly.

"Oh," she said, looking down.

I sighed. "Adrian is just my friend and I would like him to be happy." It was probably not a good idea if I told her that Adrian used to have a crush on me. "I know he would be happy if you'd give him a chance. Just one chance."

Sydney looked at me for a long time and finally, she gave in. "Fine." She took a notepad and a pen out of her purse and scribbled something down. "This is my number. You can give it to him."

I smiled. "Thanks. He'll be ecstatic."

"I hope I won't regret this," she muttered.

"You won't," I promised.

I couldn't wait to give this to Adrian. He would be thrilled. After everything he'd done for me, I kind of felt like I needed to do something back for him. I'd hurt him when I'd told him I didn't return his feelings and I hoped this would make up for everything.

Just then, Jill came out of the dressing room. She looked very pretty and elegant in the green halter dress she was wearing. The hem of the dress came to her knees and the green matched her eyes perfectly. She just looked perfect.

"That's the one," I said, smiling brightly.

"Really?" Jill said, unsure.

"Yes. Definitely!" I said.

Jill looked at Sydney for confirmation and she nodded. "Yes, you look very beautiful, Jill."

Jill grinned. "Thanks."

She bought the dress and afterwards, we left the mall. She said she didn't need to buy any matching shoes, because she already had some heels that would fit the dress perfectly.

"Thanks for coming with me today," Jill said.

I smiled. "No problem."

"So are you sure you're not going to prom?" Jill asked.

"Yeah," I said.

"But it's _your_ prom," she said frowning.

I sighed. "I know."

Sydney glanced at me with a curious look in her eyes, but didn't say anything.

"Dances aren't really my thing," I said shrugging.

The last dance I'd been to had been a disaster and I didn't feel like repeating it. Besides, I would probably see Dimitri if I'd go and I didn't want that. I wanted to see him as little as possible until graduation. That would probably be the last time I'd see him. I didn't know if I should be glad about that or not. I did know I would miss him, though. I would miss him so much.

But my love for him would fade, right? It would fade and I'd forget about him. I would move on with my life. I kept telling myself this over and over again, hoping I would start to believe it. But I didn't. I was lying to myself and I knew it. I just had to face it. Dimitri was the love of my life and I would never get over him.

I let out another sigh. "Well, have fun at prom."

"Thanks," Jill said smiling.

I mustered up a smile and walked to my car. Before getting in and driving away, I waved at Jill and Sydney. I really hoped Jill would have a great time at prom with Eddie. And I hoped Sydney would give Adrian a chance and go out with him. They all deserved to be happy with the one they loved. I knew I wouldn't get my own happy ending, but I could live with it – barely though – as long as my friends got their happy ending.

* * *

**It was sweet of Rose to ask Sydney to give Adrian a chance, wasn't it? And now she won't go to her own prom, because she doesn't want to face Dimitri. What will he say or do about that? You'll find out next chapter ;)**

**Have a nice day/evening! :)**


	33. Chapter 33

**Thank you for all the reviews! :)**

**Something is seriously wrong with my computer. I don't know what, but I'm afraid it's going to crash soon. I asked my parents if I could buy a new one(asked them ages ago, really) and let's just say they're not thrilled if I'd buy a new one. This one is so old. It's probably why it doesn't work properly. Anyway, if it's going to crash I'm afraid that I won't be able to update for a while. Let's hope this will not be the case.**

**P.S. Rose is not pregnant! She just had an headache and was feeling dizzy because of all the stress and the lack of sleep. **

**Enjoy the chapter! It's the one you're all waiting for ;)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 33**

**RPOV**

"You are amazing, wonderful, extraordinary-"

"Yeah, yeah," I interrupted, rolling my eyes. I couldn't help but smile, though. "I think I get it, Adrian. But you don't have to thank me."

"But I do!" Adrian exclaimed through the phone. "I swear, if you need anything just let me know!"

I laughed. "I'm good, Adrian. So…I take it that the date went well?"

I'd texted him Sydney's number as soon as I'd gotten home from the mall and the next day they'd gone out. I was glad for Adrian it had went well. Now Adrian was telling me they were going out again tonight and that she would accompany him to prom later this week.

"But I thought you already had a date for prom?" I asked frowning.

"No," he responded. "I was planning on going alone, but I was able to convince Sydney to go with me."

I could hear the excitement in his voice and I laughed again. I didn't think I'd ever heard him this happy before.

"Are you falling for her?" I teased.

I excepted him to deny it, but instead Adrian said, "Yeah. And I'm falling hard!"

I smiled. "That's good. She really seems like a nice person."

"Yeah, she is," he said.

We fell silent and I readjusted myself on the couch and put my feet on the coffee table.

"So did you change your mind yet?" Adrian asked at last. "About prom? Are you coming?"

"No, I'm not," I replied.

"But you already got your ticket," he countered.

"I don't care. You can give my ticket to Sydney. She'll need one," I said.

"But-"

"I'm not going, Adrian," I said firmly.

"Belikov's going to notice you're not there," he warned.

"I don't care," I repeated.

"He'll be worried when he doesn't see you there," Adrian continued.

"I don't…" But this time I couldn't finish my sentence. Instead I said, "He won't notice it. He's probably already over me. Besides, Tasha will be there to keep him company," I added darkly.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that."

I didn't say anything and luckily, he shut up about it.

"Lissa would like you to come, too," he said hesitantly.

"Well, why don't she call and tell me herself?" I said, annoyed.

We hadn't really talked since that last day in school. If Lissa wanted me there, she should tell _me_ instead of Adrian. Not that I was going to change my mind if she'd ask.

"I told her that, too," Adrian responded. "But she thought you'd still be mad at her and wouldn't want to talk to her. Because of what happened at school, you know…"

So she'd told him. I kind of felt guilty she didn't call me because she thought I was still mad. "Tell her I'm not mad at her."

"Why don't you tell her?" he said. Even though I couldn't see him, I knew he was smirking right now. "I think it's better if you do it."

"Fine," I muttered. "I'll tell her myself."

"Good," Adrian said. He let out a sigh and continued, "Well, I need to go."

"Have fun on your date!" I said.

"I will! Thanks again, little girl," he said before disconnecting.

Sighing, I put my phone down and took the remote and started flipping through the channels on TV. I'd been sitting here for days now, just watching crap on TV. I guess I had to get used to it, because my summer would probably be boring since all my friends would want to spend time with their significant other – or _almost_ significant other in Adrian's case. At times like these, it really sucked to be single.

**DPOV**

The only reason I went to the prom was to see Roza. I hoped I would find a moment to talk to her in private. Last time I'd talked to her or even been close to her was in the hallway when she'd been sick. The way she'd reacted that day hadn't been a good sign, but her bad mood wasn't going to make me give up. I was going to talk to her tonight, whether she liked it or not.

All night I kept an eye on the entrance of the gym. When it was nine thirty her friends finally showed up. I thought she'd be with them, but there was no sign of her. I thought she'd go with Adrian, but he had a blond girl with him. She didn't look familiar. Huh. I suddenly wondered if Rose was coming. I didn't think she'd miss her own prom, but now I wasn't so sure. But why wouldn't she want to go to her own prom?

I waited for a while and walked around the room for a couple of times as I kept an eye on the entrance, hoping Rose would still show up, but after an hour it was clear to me she wouldn't. I sighed and leaned against the wall. What was I going to do now?

I searched for Lissa with my eyes and saw her standing near the punch table. She was alone for the moment. Perfect. Before I could change my mind, I quickly strode toward her.

"Lissa?" I said hesitantly as I approached.

Startled, she looked up from her glass and said, "Mr. Belikov?"

"Hi," I said, giving her a small smile. I looked around, but nobody was coming back yet. "I was wondering if you'd know where Rose is. I would like to talk to her."

"Rose is not coming tonight," Lissa replied, giving me an apologetic look. "Sorry."

"Then where is she?" I asked.

"She's just at home."

"Are you looking for Rose?"

I turned around and saw Eddie. Thank God it was just him. If it had been someone else…

"Yes, I am," I said. "But Lissa just told me she's at home."

Eddie nodded. "If you want to talk to her, you should head over there."

"But what about her mom? She's probably-"

"No, she's at work. And she won't be home until morning," he said. Lissa raised her eyebrow as she looked at Eddie. He just shrugged and said, "Rose just told me when I was at her place earlier today."

I noticed that the rest of their little gang was coming back – including the strange girl with the blond hair.

"Okay, thanks," I said quickly before leaving and making my way toward the exit.

Suddenly, someone moved in front of me.

"Hey Dimka," Tasha said cheerfully. "Where are you going so soon?"

"I need to be somewhere," I said.

She frowned. "But it just started."

"I can't stay."

I pushed her aside and quickened my pace. I looked over my shoulder just before I walked through the door and saw Tasha standing in the middle of the crowd, a confused look on her face.

I made my way to the parking lot and got inside my car. As I drove to Rose's house, I hoped I wouldn't get a ticket for speeding, because I was definitely going faster than I should. But this was important and I could hardly wait to talk to her.

Five minutes later, I parked my car a few blocks away from her house. I checked if someone was on the street, but there was nobody there so I walked toward Rose's house. I checked again and as far as I could see there wasn't anyone out there. I really hoped Eddie was right about her mom working tonight. Otherwise we'd get in big trouble. I didn't see any cars parked, though, so that was a good sign.

Taking a deep breath, I rang the bell and waited for her to open the door. I didn't know why, but suddenly I felt nervous. I prayed to God this would end well and that I would have my Roza back.

**RPOV**

The doorbell rang and I looked up from the TV, startled. Who the hell would that be? I really hoped it wouldn't be any of my friends, trying to convince me to go to prom. I'd made them clear I wouldn't go so begging me on my doorstep wouldn't help a damn thing.

I decided I wouldn't open the door. I would just wait until they left. But the bell rang again and again.

"Dammit!" I grumbled as I slowly got up and made my way to the front door. Whoever it was at the door, he or she'd better be prepared for an angry –

"Dimitri?" I said, bewildered.

"Hi Roza," he said, giving me a small smile.

I stared at him for several minutes, speechless. "What…what are you doing here?" I managed to say at last.

"I came here to talk to you," he said softly and he took a step closer. "Why aren't you at prom?"

"So I wouldn't have to see you," I responded, leaning against the doorframe.

He looked hurt. "But you can't miss prom just because of me, right?"

I shrugged. "Why not?"

"Because it's _your_ prom."

"I know. Everyone keeps saying it is."

I was pretending like I didn't care at all that he'd showed up at my door, but in truth I was feeling both happy and sad that he was here. I hadn't expected this at all. My heart had immediately started beating faster at the sight of him in a tux. He'd tied his hair into a ponytail like usually. He was so handsome.

I gulped and quickly looked away from him. I suddenly realized I was wearing sweat pants and an old, ugly shirt. My hair was pulled into a messy bun on top of my head. I didn't have any makeup on. All in all, I looked terrible. And he was still looking at me like I was the most beautiful woman in the world. It made my heart melt.

When I'd regained my composure, I said, "You need to leave."

I started to close the door, but he put his hand against the door. "No, wait. I want to talk to you, Rose."

"Are you crazy?" I hissed as I took a step closer to him. "My mom could've been home! You're lucky she isn't!"

"Eddie told me she wouldn't be home," Dimitri responded quickly.

"He what?" That little bastard. I shook my head and said, "Never mind. Someone else could be watching us!"

"I parked my car a few blocks away and on the way over here I checked if someone was following me," he said. "There's nobody here."

I shook my head again. "I really don't think it's a good idea if-"

"Please, Roza," he pleaded. "I _need_ to talk to you."

Sighing, I gave in. "Fine. Just hurry up and get inside!" I already regretted letting him in, because it was really starting to get difficult to act like a bitch to him. I wouldn't be able to pull it off much longer. I closed the door behind him and turned to him, crossing my arms. "So what is it you want to talk about, Mr. Belikov?"

"Don't call me that," he said gruffly. He sighed and continued, "I want to talk about us."

"There's no us," I responded. "Not anymore."

Dimitri flinched. I could see the way I was behaving hurt him. I hated that I was hurting him, but it was for the best. I wanted to take my words back, but I couldn't. Suddenly, something came to my mind. I knew I shouldn't say it, but I couldn't help it.

"Besides, you've got Tasha now," I said. I could hear the jealousy in my voice and I hated it. He probably heard it too. Damn. "I mean, you guys are going out now, right?"

He stared at me for a few moments and then shook his head. "No! No, of course not. Roza, she doesn't mean anything to me. I don't want anything to do with her, but she can't take no for an answer." He ran his hand through his hair, frustrated. "I'm really sorry about what she said to you last time…you know?" I nodded to let him know I knew what he was talking about. "I warned her not to do it, but she did it anyway. You know how she is."

I sighed. "It doesn't really matter, Dimitri. Not anymore…"

"It matters to _me_." He stepped closer until he was right in front of me. I gasped and quickly took a step back and hit the wall with my back. "I don't want her," he said softly. "I want _you_."

"You know that's not possible," I said, averting my eyes from his intense gaze. He was really making it difficult to breathe normally. "You're my teacher. We can't…"

"It never stopped you before," Dimitri said. "Besides, you'll graduate in a few days. I won't be your teacher anymore."

"I know, but…"

"But what?"

"The caller…he has pictures…what if he decides to send them to my mom anyway? Even when you're not my teacher anymore? What if he gives them to the school?" I said.

"I've thought about that," Dimitri said. "Did the picture he gave to you have a date? In the corner or the back?"

I shook my head, wondering where he was going with this.

"Then it'll be fine," he said. "If he shows anyone the picture, we can say it was taken after graduation. Pictures can be taken anytime. Nobody will know."

I hadn't thought about this before, but he was right. The only thing this caller had was a few pictures. If he decided to give them to my mother or the school we could say it was taken after my graduation. Whoever had taken the pictures wouldn't be able to proof that it was taken before graduation. Right? Could it be that easy?

I was still a little doubtful so I said, "I don't know. Isn't that a little risky? What if he-"

"He can't do anything about it anymore when you're graduated," Dimitri interrupted me. "He knows that. That's why he forced you to break up with me before the end of the year."

He stepped even closer and now we were almost touching. I had nowhere to run to. He had me trapped against the wall.

"You can't give up on us," he said, his eyes boring into mine.

I gulped. "I already did."

"No, you didn't," he replied softly. His hand found mine and slowly, he lifted my arm. "You're still wearing it. The bracelet I gave you." We both looked down at the silver bracelet dangling on my wrist. I swallowed heavily as my eyes met his. "I know you still care about me, Roza. If you didn't, you wouldn't wear this anymore."

"I-it's a habit," I stammered as I pulled my arm away from his grasp. "It doesn't mean anything."

"I love you, Roza," he whispered, leaning closer to me. His lips were almost touching my ear. "And I know you love me, too."

Tears sprung in my eyes and I started to move against his chest so I could get away from him. He wouldn't budge, of course. That didn't mean I'd give up, though. I guess he got tired of me pushing against his chest because he grabbed my hands in his and held them against the wall, above my head. His body pressed against mine and I had to hold back a moan.

"Do you really want to give up on us because of a picture?" he said, looking me in the eyes. "We've waited so long and now graduation is about to happen you're giving up?"

"I…" I bit my lip, trying to concentrate, but God, he was really making it hard to breathe properly. How did he expect me to speak when he was standing so close to me?

"I miss you," Dimitri whispered. I could see the pain in his eyes again. "I need you in my life, Roza."

"Dimitri, please don't do this…" I managed to say at last. A tear slipped down my cheek. "Please…"

"Tell me you don't love me anymore and I'll leave," he said firmly. "I'll leave you alone for the rest of your life if you don't feel the same way about me anymore. Look me in the eyes and tell me you don't love me anymore."

Oh God. Would he really do that? Would he leave me alone for the rest of my life? Could I really tell him I didn't love him anymore? Would I be able to lie to him? _No._ The answer came to me quickly. I couldn't tell him I didn't love him anymore. Even if I could, I didn't _want_ to tell him I didn't love him anymore. I didn't want to lie to him. And I certainly didn't want to lose him.

"I can't… I can't do this anymore," I choked out. The tears were streaming down my face now. "I can't tell you I don't love you, because I do love you. I love you so much, Dimitri."

I had barely finished my sentence or his lips were on mine already, kissing me feverishly. I kissed him back with all the passion I had in me. Slowly, he released my hands and I wrapped my arms around his neck. His hands moved up my sides and I let out a moan when he bit down on my lower lip. One of his hands raked through my hair and it fell down to my shoulders.

**- START M SCENE -**

He pulled away briefly, staring at me wide-eyed, and mumbled something in Russian before attaching his lips to mine again. One of his hands slipped under my shirt and caressed my back.

"I need you, Dimitri," I whispered against his lips.

He stopped kissing me for a moment to look at me. I could see the lust in his eyes and I knew he needed me, too. Then he lifted me and carried me upstairs to my room. I wrapped my legs around his waist and pressed my lips against his neck.

Dimitri pushed the door open with his shoulder and put me down on my bed. I lay down and pulled him with me. He shrugged off his jacket and loosened his tie before pressing his lips against mine again. I started to unbutton his shirt as his lips moved to my neck, leaving soft kisses there. When I finished unbuttoning his shirt, he threw it to the side and hovered over me again. His lips moved to my neck again, but this time he didn't linger there. His lips trailed lower and lower as he slowly unbuttoned my shirt.

My breath came in ragged pants now. I pushed against his shoulders and said, "Stop teasing me, comrade."

Dimitri looked up, grinning. I grabbed his face in my hands and pulled his lips back to mine. I rolled him onto his back and straddled him. Smiling, I slid my shirt off. He placed his hands on my hips and I leaned in to kiss him. He rolled us over again and eased himself on top of me. His lips moved against mine as he reached around my back and unclasped my bra. It ended up on the floor and soon the rest of our clothes followed.

"I love you so much, Roza," Dimitri murmured against my skin.

He kissed my lips again and looked at me lovingly before he entered me. I moaned in pleasure as he started to move inside of me. I closed my eyes as I relished in the feeling of being with him again. The last few weeks had been hell without Dimitri. Being with him now… It was like coming home.

When we both reached our peak, Dimitri muttered a string of Russian words and collapsed on top of me. I wrapped my arms around him and held him tight, not wanting to let him go. He buried his face in my hair and kissed my neck.

**- END M SCENE -**

"I love you," I whispered.

Dimitri kissed my neck again and I closed my eyes, smiling. I'd thought tonight would suck because I'd be at home, watching stupid movies, when I was supposed to be at my prom, but now I thought tonight couldn't have been better.

"I'm glad I didn't go to prom," I said.

Dimitri lifted his head to look at me and smiled. "Me too, Roza." He kissed my lips. "Me too."

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**So what did you think of the reunion? Was it good? Rose didn't go to prom like some of you wanted, but she got something better instead, right? ;)**

**Please leave a review and let me know what you think :) **

**And remember, if I haven't updated in a week or so... then it means my computer is dead.**

**Have a nice day/evening! :)**


	34. Chapter 34

**Thank you very much for the reviews! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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**CHAPTER 34**

**DPOV**

"Do you know how late your mom's going to be home?" I asked as I stroked Roza's hair gently.

She smiled. "You mean, how _early_ she's going to be home?" I rolled my eyes. "Probably around eight."

I glanced at her alarm clock. "Then we still have a couple of hours, I guess," I said before leaning in to kiss her.

Rose snuggled closer to me and I wrapped my arms around her. I kissed the top of her head and sighed. "I can't tell you how happy I am right now," I said. "The last few weeks were like hell." I felt like this wasn't even good enough to describe how miserable I'd been the past few weeks. "I'm so glad to have you back now."

"I'm sorry," Rose whispered. Tears glistened in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Dimitri. I was just so scared that you'd lose your job because of me and…"

"I don't care about my job," I said. "Roza, I would have quit my job for you."

Her eyes widened and slowly she shook her head. "No… I don't want that."

"I know. I know you wouldn't have agreed with it so that's why I didn't do it. Instead I let you go and tried to get over you, but I can't." I sighed and gave her a small smile. "Obviously."

A tear rolled down her cheek and I quickly wiped it away.

"Don't cry," I said softly. "It's okay. We're together now. It's okay, milaya."

Rose nodded and sighed. "I know, but I feel so bad that I did this to you. I felt like I had no other choice than to break up with you. It didn't come to my mind that after graduation we could be together again. I just thought of the pictures and that he'd show them to my mom and that it would ruin everything for you… But you're right. If he still shows them to my mom, we can say they were taken _after _graduation. It's his word against ours." She buried her face in my chest and whispered, "I'm so sorry."

"Shh, it's okay. Stop saying you're sorry," I said. "It's not your fault. I understand why you did it. I just wish you'd listened to me sooner."

She smiled through her tears. "Yeah, me too."

"Promise me you won't leave me again?" I whispered.

"I won't leave you again. I promise," she whispered back.

I smiled and kissed her hair. "I love you."

She looked up and kissed me. "I love you too, comrade."

My smile widened. "I missed hearing that."

"What? Comrade?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"You used to hate that nickname," Rose said grinning.

"That was a long time ago," I responded. "Now I love it. At least, if it's coming from you."

She smiled. "Good. Because I'll keep calling you comrade, whether you like it or not."

I kissed her lips softly. "I don't care what you call me. As long as you don't call me Mr. Belikov anymore," I told her. "I hate it when you call me that."

Rose laughed. "You really have changed over the past few months, huh?"

I loved to hear her laugh. It had been so long since I'd heard it.

"You changed me," I whispered.

She smiled and rested her head on my chest. I started stroking her hair again and asked, "How are you feeling?"

She looked up at me again, frowning. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you were sick last week," I said, kissing her temple.

Rose rolled her eyes. "I wasn't sick, comrade. How many times do I have to tell you? It was just the lack of sleep that had made me feel dizzy."

"Are you sure it was just that?" I asked.

She nodded. "Yes. You don't have to worry."

"I'll always worry about you, Roza," I murmured.

She leaned in and kissed me. I drew her closer as our lips continued to move in sync. One of my hands tangled in her hair and suddenly I noticed something.

I pulled away from her and scowled. "Did you cut your hair?"

"Yes," she said.

"Roza! Why would you do that?"

Rose gave me a funny look. "Relax, comrade. It's only an inch shorter."

I looked at her hair again. "Are you sure it's just an inch?" I said, holding a few strands of her hair between my fingers.

"Yes, I'm sure," she responded. "It's barely noticeable that it's been cut."

"Well, _I _notice it!" I said. She started laughing and I scowled even more. "What?"

"I can't believe you're so upset because my hair is one inch shorter," she laughed.

"I'm not upset," I mumbled. "I'm just… I just think you look very beautiful with your long hair."

"So now I'm not beautiful anymore?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

I immediately realized I'd said the wrong thing. I hadn't meant it that way. I still thought she was the most beautiful woman on earth. Nothing would change that. Even if she'd be bald, she'd still be beautiful.

"That's not what I meant," I said quickly. "You'll always be beautiful to me, Roza."

She grinned. "I'm just teasing you, comrade."

"You want me to tease you, too?" I said as I started to tickle her.

Rose squirmed and let out a yelp. "No! No, it's alright," she said quickly.

I smiled and rested my hand on her side. She yawned and I glanced at the clock again. It was almost two o'clock in the morning.

"Maybe we should get some sleep," I said. "We've got to get up early."

"You mean _you_ have to get up early," Rose said. I playfully glared at her and she quickly added, "Just joking, comrade. But yeah… you're probably right."

Sighing, she flicked off the light on her nightstand. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close to me.

"Good night, comrade," Rose mumbled.

I kissed her hair. "Good night, Roza."

I closed my eyes and fell asleep almost immediately. I felt like I had only slept for a few hours when the alarm clock woke me up at seven in the morning. I probably felt like that because it was true. I sighed and buried my face in Roza's neck. She didn't move. When I looked up, I saw that she was still asleep. I smiled. She looked so peaceful. I decided to let her sleep and leave a note for her.

Quietly, I got out of bed and started to get dressed. I was about to walk away, when her hand grabbed my wrist.

"Where are you going?" she said groggily.

"Home. I can't be here when your mom gets home," I responded.

"So you were just going to leave without telling me?" she said, indignant.

I sat down on the edge of her bed.

"I was going to leave you a note. I didn't want to wake you up," I said softly, stroking her hair. I bent forward and kissed her forehead. "I need to go now. I'll call you later."

"Okay. You want me to go downstairs with you?"

"No, you don't have to get up." I started to leave, but then changed my mind and walked back to kiss her again. "I love you, Roza."

"I love you, too," she said smiling.

I gave her another quick kiss before leaving her room. I had to fight the urge to run right back to her. I knew I had to leave, though, before her mom came home so I kept on walking to the front door and slipped outside. I walked toward my car and headed home with the biggest smile on my face. Nothing could ruin my day, knowing that Roza was mine again.

**RPOV**

Shortly after Dimitri had left, I fell back asleep. An hour later I woke up again when my mom came home. I decided to get up and went downstairs. My mom was in the kitchen, having breakfast.

"Morning," I mumbled as I joined her at the kitchen table.

"You're up early," she noted, surprised.

I shrugged and smiled. "Can't lie in my bed forever, huh?"

She gave me a funny look. "What's up with you?"

"Nothing. I'm just happy," I said, still smiling.

She raised an eyebrow. "Is there a reason why you're so happy?"

"No, no reason."

"Huh." She took a sip of her coffee. "So did you go to prom after all or..."

I shook my head. "No, Mom. I told you, I wasn't feeling well."

"Hmm. Still can't believe you wouldn't go to prom because of that," she muttered, frowning.

"I just didn't feel like going," I said shrugging. "Dances aren't my thing, anyway."

"You used to go to every school dance," Mom noted. "You loved it."

Ugh. I hated it when she remembered every little thing about me.

"Yeah, well, not anymore," I simply said. After finishing my granola bar, I got up and said, "I'm going for a run. It's been a while."

"Okay, I'm going to bed in a few. Don't wake me up when you get back," she said warningly.

"I'll be quiet," I promised.

I got changed and stretched outside my house before my run. I jogged to the park, where I'd once run into Dimitri – literally. That day seemed like a very long time ago. Back then we hadn't been together yet. He'd just been my teacher. Well, not just my teacher. He'd also been my friend. If someone had told me that day that Dimitri and I would be together someday, I would've called them crazy. Not because I wouldn't want to be with him, but because I'd thought Dimitri would never want to be with me.

Now I knew that was not the case. Dimitri couldn't have made it more clear how much he loved me. And I loved him, too. So much. I was so glad he'd come to my house last night and that he'd changed my mind. I'd never thought it would end so well. If only I could figure out who'd been harassing me. I thought about it as I went back home, but nothing came to my mind.

"Hey," I heard a soft voice saying.

Startled, I came to an abrupt halt and looked up. Lissa stood in front of me, at the door.

"I just arrived," she said, giving me a tentative smile. "I was hoping we could talk."

"Oh. Well, we can't go inside," I said, still surprised to find her here. "My mom is still asleep."

She nodded and sat down on the ground, Indian style. I sat down next to her and leaned back against the wall.

"What do you want to talk about?" I asked.

"Well… I was wondering if you got a chance to talk to Dimitri last night," she said hesitantly. "Did he come by?"

I frowned. "You know about that?"

"Well, yeah… He came to me last night to ask where you were. I told him you were at home and then Eddie told him your mom wasn't home. He left immediately afterwards," she explained. "Didn't he tell you?"

"Yeah, something like that," I said.

"So you two talked?" Lissa asked, pulling her legs up to her chest and wrapping her arms around her knees.

I nodded and couldn't help a small smile. "Yes, we did."

"And? Did you work it out?"

My smile grew wider. "Yes."

Lissa smiled, too. "Tell me everything!" she said, enthusiastic.

"You got some time? Because it's a long story," I said teasingly.

"I've got the whole day. So if you like we could go to the mall later today?" she suggested. "Or something else. Whatever you want."

I looked at her, uncertain. "Are you sure? What about Christian?"

Lissa grinned. "I told him I needed some girl time with my best friend. It's been too long, really."

My smile faded. "Yeah, it has."

She bent forward and grabbed my hand. "I'm really sorry, Rose. You were right. I should've spent more time with you. If I had, I would've known from the beginning something was wrong. Now I didn't and I feel pretty bad about it."

I gave her a small smile. "Don't be. It's okay. You're here now. That's what matters."

She smiled back and let go of my hand. "Okay. Now I want to hear everything that's happened!"

Still smiling, I started telling her about what had happened last night. I couldn't believe I'd been so unhappy before Dimitri had shown up last night and right now I couldn't be more happier. I had my boyfriend back, my best friend and I would graduate in two days! It seemed like my life was falling back into place. Finally.

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**Aww, some Romitri fluff. Hope you liked it. And Rose and Lissa are going to spend more time together. Yay. ****Next chapter will be about Rose's graduation ;)**

**Please review and let me know what you think. And have a great weekend! :) **


	35. Chapter 35

**Thank you for the reviews, follows and favorites! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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**CHAPTER 35**

**RPOV**

Along with the rest of my classmates, I threw my cap in the air. My friends were all screaming and jumping up and down with excitement that we were finally graduated. Lissa turned to me, a huge grin on her face, and hugged me.

After sitting down for two hours in the gym, it felt good to stretch my legs outside on the grass field. I'd already thought it would be boring, but man… I'd never thought it would be _this_ boring. After a welcoming speech from the principal, we had to hear another speech from a guest speaker – some politician. It was a long and a very boring speech. It was kind of funny, though, because at one point Christian had started to nod off. Lissa had to nudge him several times to wake him up.

After the speeches, we'd finally received our diplomas. When I'd stood there on the stage, I'd looked for my mom in the crowd and when I'd found her she was smiling at me and wiping at her eyes. Seeing her like that had made me tear up a little bit. I'd searched for Dimitri, too, and he'd had look of pride in his eyes. I'd given him a brief smile before returning to my seat.

"I can't believe it," Lissa said excitedly. "We are graduated!"

"Yes, we are!" I said grinning.

A few group pictures were made and then the crowd began to disperse and went back inside for the reception. I walked back to my mom, who stood a few feet away.

"I'm so proud of you, Rose," she said as she hugged me. When she pulled back, she took something out of her purse. It was an envelope. "Here. This is for you."

"Thanks, Mom," I said as I took it from her. I opened the envelope and my eyes widened when I saw the amount of money in it. I could buy a brand-new laptop with so much money. "Wow, Mom… That's a lot," I stammered. I gave her another hug. "You didn't have to-"

"Rose, it's your graduation," she interrupted me with a smile. "Let's go back inside now."

I nodded, still shocked, and followed her back inside. We joined Lissa's parents, who were standing in the far corner with some drinks. Andre was with them.

"Congrats, Rose!" he said grinning and he gave me a hug.

"Thank you," I said, grinning back.

Andre slung his arm around Lissa's shoulder and said, "You guys did great. Really."

Lissa smiled. "Thanks."

"I'm going to get something to drink," I said. "Mom, do you want something, too?"

"Yes. Red wine, please," she said smiling.

I nodded and left for the bar. Before I got there, someone moved in front of me. It was Dimitri.

"Hi," I said, suddenly nervous. I didn't know why I was nervous, though.

He smiled. "Congratulations, Roza."

"Thank you," I said, smiling back.

"You looked very cute up there. On stage," he said, still smiling.

"I did not!" I said blushing and I averted my eyes. Quickly changing the subject, I asked "Who's idea was it to take purple for the gowns and the hats?"

"I don't know. Why? What's wrong with it?"

I raised my eyebrows. "What's wrong with it? What's _not_ wrong with it? I mean, it's purple!"

Dimitri laughed. "Are you seriously upset about a color?"

"Well, yeah, I'd rather not look ridiculous on my graduation," I said, crossing my arms.

"You don't look ridiculous," he said, still amused. "You look beautiful."

I blushed again, not knowing what to say. Why was I all of a sudden so shy? "You're biased," I said at last.

"Maybe," he admitted.

I suddenly noticed my mom striding toward us. I gave Dimitri a warning look, but before he could leave she'd already joined us.

"There you are," she said. "I was already wondering where you were." She turned to Dimitri and smiled. "Oh, hi, Dimitri. Good to see you."

Dimitri shook her hand and smiled. "Likewise, Ms. Hathaway."

"It's Janine," she said.

"Right…Janine," Dimitri said, a little uneasy. He cleared his throat and said, "I was just congratulating your daughter. She did very well this year."

He glanced at me and I smiled at him.

"Yes, she did. I'm very proud of her," Mom said.

"You should be," Dimitri said and he smiled at me. "I think she'll go far in her life."

"Thanks, I think so too," she responded.

As they talked, I looked around the room. I noticed Christian standing with his family. Tasha was with him, but she wasn't congratulating him like the rest of his family. Instead, she was looking straight at me, her mouth a thin line. I quickly looked away from her.

"Well, I should go," Dimitri said at last. He turned to me and put his hand on my shoulder, giving me a gentle squeeze. "Enjoy your day, Rose. You deserve it."

"Thanks," I said smiling.

"He is so nice," Mom noted. "If he has a girlfriend, she's very lucky to have him."

"Yes, she is," I murmured, still smiling.

Mom was right. I was very lucky to have him. I hoped she would still think the same about Dimitri when she'd find out _I_ was his girlfriend. We went to fetch our drinks and joined Lissa's family again. After a while Christian, Eddie and Adrian joined us too. Eddie had brought Jill with him and Sydney was also present.

I hadn't expected that. Adrian had only gone out with her a few times, but apparently things were going well between them. He had his arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her into his side. Sydney looked a little shy, just like Jill, but I could see she was happy. I was glad for them.

"Oh look," Mom suddenly said. "There's Jesse. Let's say hi to him."

"Mom, I don't think that's a very good idea," I said hesitantly.

"Why? Because you guys broke up?" she said.

"Yeah," I said at last to my mom. "Besides, he has a girlfriend now. And I don't think she'll be happy if she sees me talking to him."

Mom frowned. "Oh. Okay." She suddenly smiled. "It seems like he saw us, too. He's coming over."

_Oh no._ I glanced at Eddie and Lissa, who both looked concerned. Eddie clenched his jaw and moved to the other side of me. I thought it was sweet of him that he wanted to protect me, but it was not like Jesse would attack me in the middle of a crowded room.

"Hey Rose," Jesse greeted. "Hi, Ms. Hathaway."

"Hello, Jesse," Mom said. "It's been so long. How are you?"

"I'm good, thanks. How are you doing?"

"I'm great," she responded smiling.

Jesse's gaze turned to me and I gave him a polite smile, but didn't say anything.

"So… Congratulations, Rose," he said at last.

I cleared my throat and said, "Thanks."

An awkward silence fell. I averted my eyes to the ground and waited for him to leave. He made me nervous. I didn't like him being here.

"Well, I should go back," Jesse said. "Camille's probably wondering where I am."

"Camille?" Mom asked.

"My girlfriend," Jesse explained. He glanced at me and then back at my mom. "Have a nice day."

"You too, Jesse," she said.

He left and I sighed in relief. Luckily, I didn't see him the rest of the afternoon. When I went to use the bathroom, I ran into Dimitri again. He was leaning against the wall when I was on my way back to the reception. He inclined his head toward the door behind him. I looked around but there was nobody there so I followed him outside. He rounded the corner so that we were out of sight and turned around to me.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing," he said. "I just wanted to ask you something."

"Oh?" I said smiling. "What do you want to ask me?"

Dimitri put his hands inside his pockets and looked up at me. "Well, I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner with me. To celebrate your graduation."

"Oh," I said, biting my lip. "I can't tonight, Dimitri. I have to-"

"I know, it's your graduation party," he interrupted. "I wasn't talking about tonight. But maybe we could go out tomorrow night?"

"Sure. I'd love that. Wait," I said, frowning, as I realized what he was saying. "Go out? You mean, leave your apartment?"

"Yes," Dimitri said, an amused look on his face. He took my hand in his and intertwined our fingers. "I thought it'd be nice for a change. We could go to a restaurant. I'll pay."

"No, you don't have to-"

"Yes," he interrupted again. He smiled. "It's your graduation we're celebrating. I'm paying whether you like it or not." Slowly, he leaned closer and his lips brushed against my cheek. "And maybe you could stay over at my place then?" he whispered in my ear. One of his hands caressed my back and a chill ran down my spine. God, the things this man did to me…

I swallowed heavily and managed to say, "Yeah, maybe."

"Good. It's a date, then." Dimitri stepped back and let go of me. I looked at him, a little confused, and he grinned. "You should go back before your mom comes looking for you."

I nodded and walked back, flustered. _What a tease_, I thought.

Ten minutes after I'd gotten back to the reception, Dimitri slipped inside without anyone noticing. He saw me looking at him and winked before turning away and joining a group of teachers near the bar. Smiling, I turned back to my friends. Lissa had seen our little exchange and smiled at me.

After the reception, we all went to Lissa's place for the graduation party. Her house was big enough for all the grad students. Lissa's parents dropped us of and then left. They said they didn't want to be here when all those students would arrive. They'd rented a hotel room a little out of town for tonight and would come back in the morning. Andre would stay with us and keep an eye on everyone. At least, that's was what he'd told his parents. Knowing him, he was probably going to get drunk himself.

Even though it was my graduation, I didn't want to get drunk. I didn't want to wake up with a headache and have a bad mood when I'd be going out with Dimitri. I still couldn't believe that we were going out, really. I mean, out of his apartment. It would be kind of weird.

"Why are you smiling like that?" Lissa yelled.

The music was blasting in my ears and even though Lissa was yelling, it was hard to understand what she was saying. She'd been drinking for a while now and her words were slurring.

"He's going to take me out tomorrow night!" I yelled back. I didn't say any names in case someone was listening to our conversation.

Her eyes widened and she grinned. "He is? Oh my god, that is so sweet of him."

I nodded and smiled. She grabbed my arm and hauled me to the center of her living room. Andre and Christian had shoved all the furniture aside earlier tonight to create a dance floor. We danced, but after a while I had enough of it and slumped down on one of the couches. I noticed Sydney sitting on the other one, looking uncomfortable. I got up and sat down beside her.

"Hi," I said smiling. "You don't look like you're having much fun."

"I guess this isn't my thing," she said, smiling apologetically. Her eyes glanced at a small group of students who were playing a drinking game.

"Well, you only graduate once," I said shrugging.

"Yes, but you're graduated too, and you're not behaving like them," she said, nodding at the group of students.

"I don't need to get drunk to have fun," I said. "Hey, where's Adrian? He didn't just leave you here to party, right?"

"He went to the bathroom," Sydney answered.

"Oh." I leaned back against the couch and asked, "Things seem to be going well between the two of you."

Sydney nodded and smiled. "Yes. I honestly had never thought he'd be this…sweet and kind."

"Hmm, yeah. Adrian is full of surprises," I said.

Right then, Adrian walked in. He searched the crowd and then noticed us sitting. His face split in a huge grin and he walked over to us. He sat down on the other side of Sydney and wrapped his arm around her waist. She leaned into his side and he kissed her temple. I couldn't help but smile. They looked so cute together.

"I'll leave the two of you alone," I said, winking at Adrian.

He grinned at me in return. I got up and made my way toward the hall and up the stairs to Lissa's bedroom. I suddenly felt tired. I crawled into her bed and pulled the covers over me, trying to block out the music coming from the living room. I took my phone and saw that it was only a little after midnight. I wondered if Dimitri was still awake. I missed him, which was weird because I'd seen him just a few hours ago.

I decided to text him. I stared at my phone, biting my lip, as I waited for a response. After a few minutes had passed, I figured he was already asleep. I was a little disappointed, because for some reason I really wanted to hear his voice. When I was about to give up, my phone buzzed. It was Dimitri. But it wasn't a text; he was calling me. I quickly answered the phone.

"Comrade?" I said.

"Hi Roza," Dimitri murmured.

"Did I wake you?" I asked, biting my lip again.

"No, I was awake," he replied. "Why did you text? I thought you were at your graduation party."

"I am," I said, rolling onto my side. "But I missed you. I thought we could talk, but I realize now it's kind of late. I shouldn't have-"

"No, it's fine, milaya. We can talk," he interrupted me gently. "Are you still at Lissa's?"

"Yes," I said. "I'm in her bedroom. There's too much noise downstairs."

"Aren't you having fun at the party?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure. It's fun, but I'm a little tired… And I actually would rather spend time with you, you know," I admitted.

"I know. I wish it was tomorrow night already," he sighed.

"Me too," I mumbled.

"So did you decide yet if you want to stay over at my place?" he said in a teasing voice.

"I don't know," I teased back. "I guess. Your bed is more comfortable than mine, anyway."

"Is that the only reason why you'd want to stay over?" he said.

I could almost see him pout. "Hmm. There could be another reason, too," I laughed.

"What's the other reason?" he asked.

"This hot Russian guy that is my boyfriend," I said grinning.

Dimitri chuckled. "You're amazing, you know that?"

I was still grinning as I said, "I might have heard that before, yeah."

A comfortable silence fell and after a while, Dimitri said, "You should go back to the party, milaya. Your friends are probably wondering where you are. I don't want you to miss out on your own graduation party because of me. We can talk tomorrow as much as you want, okay?"

I nodded, then remembered he couldn't see me. "Okay," I whispered. "Can't wait."

"Me either," he said softly. "Good night, Roza."

"Good night, comrade," I murmured before disconnecting.

Just when I was about to get up, I heard someone calling from the stairs, "Rose, where the fuck are you? Get your ass back down here!"

I smiled. It was Lissa. Whenever she had a few drinks, she always started to cuss. It was something she would never do when she was sober.

"I'm coming!" I yelled back.

I let out a sigh as I left her room and went back downstairs, joining my friends to make this night unforgettable.

* * *

**Graduation went well, but how will tomorrow night's date go? You'll find out next chapter and you will also find out who's been harassing Rose ;)**

**Oh yeah, I also have a question. This story is coming to an end and I'm wondering if you guys would like to have a sequel? You know, about how Rose and Dimitri's life will be now that Rose is graduated, how certain people will react to the fact that Rose and Dimitri are dating, etc. If you'd like a sequel, this story might end with a sort of cliffhanger.**

**Anyway, let me know what you think :) **

**Have a great day/evening!**


	36. Chapter 36

**Thank you so much for the huge response on last chapter! Since most of you want a sequel, I guess I'll write one for you! :D **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy**

* * *

**CHAPTER 36**

**RPOV**

Dinner with Dimitri was great. We'd gone to a restaurant a little out of town. It wouldn't have been smart if we'd chosen a restaurant somewhere in town, because then we'd probably run across someone we knew from school. I was graduated now, but only by a day so it was better if nobody saw us together yet. The chance of being seen together outside of town was much smaller.

At first, I felt nervous being in public with Dimitri. Of course I'd been in public with him before, but not as a couple. That's what made me feel a little nervous, I guess. Or maybe I was afraid someone would see us together. But there was nobody at the restaurant looking at us with a horrified expression on their faces so I guess I had nothing to fear. Everyone was just minding their own business and after a while the nerves disappeared and I could enjoy being in Dimitri's company.

Dimitri was sweet to me, like always. I was the only one he was paying attention to the whole evening. Our waitress didn't like that very much. She'd tried more than once to draw his attention, but he hadn't looked at her one time. His eyes had been focused on me, even when he'd ordered our food and drinks.

When Dimitri paid our dinner, she tried one last time to win him over, but it was like he didn't even notice it – or he was just ignoring her. He helped me into my jacket and wrapped his arm around my waist as we made our way toward the exit. I could see the waitress glaring at me from behind the bar. As soon as we were outside, I couldn't hold back my laughter.

"What's so funny?" Dimitri asked as we walked back toward the car.

"Didn't you notice that our waitress has a thing for you?" I said, giggling. "She was trying so hard to get you to notice her. I almost feel sorry for her."

"What? That's ridiculous," he said.

"No, it's true!" I said, looking up at him. "She was practically showing you her cleavage when she bent to put our drinks on the table. Don't tell me you didn't notice that," I said, glaring at him.

I knew he hadn't noticed it – he'd been oblivious to the waitress's attempt to flirt all night – but I wanted to tease him.

"I didn't!" Dimitri said, suddenly flustered. "I was looking at you! Why would I look at the waitress when I'm with you? Roza, I wouldn't-"

I started to laugh again. "Jeez, relax, comrade. I was just teasing you."

He came to a halt and frowned. "That's not funny."

I stopped, too. "What? I was just joking around, comrade." He started walking again without saying another word. I followed him. "Are you mad now? Seriously?"

Dimitri suddenly stopped walking and I almost bumped into him. He turned around and grinned. "No, I was joking around, too," he said.

I stared at him for a second and then slapped his arm. "You're so _not_ funny!"

"And you are?" he countered, raising his eyebrow.

I stuck my tongue out and he laughed. Wrapping his arm around my shoulders, he pulled me close and kissed the top of my head. We walked toward the car hand in hand. Dimitri held the door open for me and then walked to the other side of the car and got in.

We drove home in comfortable silence. All the while I kept my eyes on Dimitri as he drove. A small smile twisted at his lips as he glanced at me from the corner of his eye. I smiled and leaned closer to him, kissing him on the cheek. The smile he was trying to hold back, broke out on his face. I kissed his cheek again before settling back into my seat.

"Thank you for taking me out for dinner tonight," I said as we exited the car. Dimitri took my hand in mine as we crossed the street. "I really had a nice time."

"Me too, Roza," he said as he smiled down at me.

"You shouldn't have paid for everything, though," I muttered.

"Don't start again," Dimitri said sighing. "We were out celebrating _your_ graduation. It was my treat." He pushed me gently against the wall of his apartment building and held my face in his hands. Slowly, he stroked my cheek with his thumb. "Okay?"

I looked up into his eyes and said softly, "Okay."

Smiling, he leaned in and kissed me. It was soft and sweet at first, but then the kiss grew more passionate. He pushed me into the wall as his lips continued to assault mine. A soft moan escaped my lips as his lips moved to my neck.

"Have I told you yet how beautiful you look tonight?" Dimitri breathed in my ear.

I was unable to response. So instead, I closed my eyes and tried to remember how to breathe. His lips found mine again. His hands moved to my hips and gripped them firmly as we continued to make out. I completely forgot that we were still outside where everybody could see us, but it was dark now. I didn't think anyone would recognize us. At least, I thought that until I heard a voice.

"Get your hands off of her!"

My heart nearly stopped beating when I recognized that voice. Dimitri pulled away from me, a confused look on his face when he saw the fear in my eyes. Slowly, he turned around to look at the intruder.

"Step away from her."

Dimitri didn't move. He just stared at the figure in the dark, trying to figure out who it was.

"Didn't you hear what I said? Step away from her!"

"Jesse, what…what are you doing?" I stammered as he started to approach us.

Jesse stepped into the light of the street lamp, a few feet away from us. Dimitri turned his gaze to me, a shocked look on his face. His arm wrapped around me protectively and he pulled me against his side.

Jesse clenched his fists. "I said, let her go!"

"What are you doing?" I repeated. "Why are you here?"

Finally, he looked at me. "What do you think?" he snapped.

I frowned. "Jesse, I don't… I don't understand."

What the hell was going on? I thought he was over me? I thought he was with Camille? What was he doing here? Why was he so angry?

"I can't believe this," he hissed. "I can't believe you went back to him! I warned you so many times." He shook his head and sighed. "Why? Why didn't you just listen to me?"

"What…what do you mean?" I said in a tight voice.

"I told you to break up with him!" he yelled. "You promised me you would and here you are! Making out with him on the fucking street like a whore."

I gasped as realization dawned on me. My hand flew to my mouth as I stared at him, shocked. I couldn't believe this. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It couldn't be…

Dimitri realized it too. "It was you?" he said, outraged. "You were the one harassing Rose? You put notes in her locker and kept calling her? You threatened her?!"

"Shut up! I don't want to hear you," Jesse growled. His face was starting to get red with anger. "You poisoned her mind and turned her against me."

Oh my God… Was he crazy? Had he gone mad?

"Roza, get inside," Dimitri said, nudging me toward the door.

I looked up at him and shook my head. "No, I'm not going anywhere-"

"Now is not the time to argue with me, Roza," he interrupted.

"Rose's not going anywhere!" Jesse growled. "Not without me. She's going home with _me_."

"I swear, if you lay a hand on her…" Dimitri said, threatening, as he moved in front of me.

Jesse laughed. "You won't do anything. That stunt you pulled on me last time… You won't do it again. I know you won't."

"If you don't leave right now, I'll call the cops," Dimitri said, clenching his jaw. "I'll tell them everything. About the notes, about your calls. I'll make sure you'll get thrown into jail."

Jesse looked smug as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Oh yeah? Then I guess I should save a spot for you, too. I wonder what the cops will do when they find out you've been fooling around with a minor for several months now. I don't think Janine will be happy when she finds out the truth."

"Jesse, don't do this," I pleaded.

I moved away from Dimitri and took a step closer to Jesse, but Dimitri grabbed my wrist and pulled me back.

"What are you doing?" he hissed.

I ignored him and looked back at Jesse. "Don't you want me to be happy?" I asked softly.

He hesitated for a few moments, but then answered, "Yes. But _he_ can't make you happy. Only _I_ can!"

"You know that's not true," I said. "You know how bad things ended between us. Besides, don't you love Camille now?"

"Camille?!" he said, his eyes bugging out. "No! Never. I only love you, Rose. And I know you love me, too."

I knew this was only going to anger him, but I had to say it. "No, Jesse. I don't. Not anymore."

He gritted his teeth. "Don't say that! You're lying. I hate it when you lie to me."

"I'm not-"

"Quiet!" he yelled.

I shut up, afraid he might snap if I'd say something more. This was going from bad to worse. I didn't know what to do or say to end this situation. I knew I had to end this, though. And quickly, before someone got hurt.

"Please stop this," I pleaded again. "Jesse, you have to stop this. You have to let me go."

"I _can't_ let you go," he said through clenched teeth. "You're mine."

"I'm not yours. You don't own me," I said, trying to keep my cool.

Dimitri found my hand and squeezed it gently. "Go inside," he whispered.

I ignored him. I wasn't going to leave the two of them outside. Who knew what would happen then?! And I didn't trust Jesse. I didn't know what he was up to - except for taking me home with him, apparently. Plus, I needed to find out more about all this. I needed to know how he'd arranged everything. The notes, the calls, the pictures… I wanted to know how he'd found us tonight. I wanted to know everything.

Jesse had started to pace and was mumbling things to himself. It made me nervous, seeing him like this. He was acting crazy. Or maybe he just was. I didn't know what he was capable of and that scared me.

"Why, Rose? Why?" he kept saying over and over again. He stopped pacing and turned back to me. "Why did you do this to me? Why did you go to _him_?" His eyes flicked to Dimitri and his look darkened. "Why did you betray me?"

He started to get angry again and kicked a trash can. I cringed and moved closer to Dimitri's side. I started to shake, but it was not from the cold. Dimitri wrapped his arm around me again and pressed his lips against my temple.

"It'll be okay," he whispered.

Jesse looked frantic. "What did I tell you? Let her go! _Now_!"

"Just do it, Dimitri," I whispered, suddenly terrified. "Do what he says."

"Roza-"

"Please," I begged.

Dimitri let go of me, but didn't move away. Jesse calmed down a little bit . He stared at me as he clenched and unclenched his fists.

"I warned you so many times, Rose," he said at last. "So many times. I thought it would be enough if I told the principal. I thought he would make a stop to what was happening between the two of you, but he didn't. He did nothing about it!" He clenched his fists again. "So I had to take matters in my own hand. But that didn't help either."

"How did you do it?" I asked quietly. "The notes? How were you able to put them in my locker when you didn't even go to school there?"

He smiled his creepy smile. "That's where Camille comes in."

"Camille?" I said in disbelief.

"Yes. Why do you think I was dating her?" he snapped. "She hated you so that made her the perfect person to help me."

"So she knows about Dimitri and me?"

"Yes. Of course she does. She read the notes after all," he responded, shrugging. "But she promised me she'd keep it a secret. I didn't want her to tell her silly friends. Not everyone needs to know you were fooling around with your teacher." He spat the words like it was venom. "It's none of their business, anyway. This is between you and me."

I chose to ignore the last part. "And she didn't mind you were just using her?"

"She didn't know I was using her. She thought I loved her." He rolled his eyes and scoffed, "Stupid girl."

"You pretended this whole time to love her and she never figured it out?" I said in disbelief.

He looked smug again. "No, she didn't figure it out. I was very persuasive, I guess. Besides, I needed to pretend. I needed you to think I was over you. I needed to be close to you again without you getting suspicious."

I'd been so stupid. After Eddie had told me Jesse had been in the hallway when I'd had that fight with Dimitri… That's when I should've realized Jesse had called the principal. I should've known Jesse was behind the notes and the calls. Who else would do something crazy like this?! Something else suddenly came to my mind.

"Were you working with someone else, too?" I asked.

"What?"

"Was there someone else besides Camille? Did a woman named Tasha help you?" I asked.

Dimitri stiffened and he looked down at me. "Rose…"

"What? She was trying to break into my locker!" I turned back to Jesse. "Do you know Tasha V-"

"I don't know who you're talking about!" Jesse interrupted me. "I was only working with Camille."

"And the calls?" I'd never recongized his voice whenever he'd called. He really must've used a voice changer. "Why did you do that? Weren't the notes enough?"

"No," he hissed. "Apparently not. You wouldn't listen to me so I had to think of something else."

Tears sprung in my eyes as I suddenly realized it was him who'd been watching me. "You were spying on me this whole time! How could you do that?" I exclaimed. "You moved away! What did you do? Come back every day to watch me?"

"I had to keep an eye on you," Jesse said. "I had to make sure you'd break up with him. When I gave you the picture, you assured me you would break up with him. You lied." Once again, he started pacing. "I trusted you. I believed you would do what you'd promised me. But you lied!" He stopped again and turned to me, his eyes blazing. "You. Lied. To. Me. When I saw you at graduation yesterday, talking to _him_, I knew you'd lied to me."

"Jesse, I…"

"How could you?" he yelled.

That's when I lost it. I couldn't stay calm anymore. Not when I had to hear how he'd tried to ruin my life over and over again. "_Me_? What about _you_? How could you do this to me? Do you hate me that much? Do you want to ruin my life so badly?"

Jesse stared at me in disbelief. "Hate you?" he said. "I could never hate you. I love you."

"You don't know what love is," I snapped. "All those times you tried to scare me! All those time you hurt me! That's not love!"

"Roza, calm down," Dimitri whispered.

"I'm sorry about that," Jesse told me. "But it's really your fault I behaved that way. If you hadn't flirted with all those guys, I wouldn't have acted that way. You needed to realize that you belong to me."

"You're sick," I said, my voice trembling. "You're insane." I turned to Dimitri, tears streaming down my face, and said, "Get me out of here, Dimitri. Please."

Dimitri nodded and wrapped his arm around me again. I couldn't believe I hadn't listened to him the first time he'd told me to go inside. I still had some questions, like how Jesse had pulled it off to watch me the whole time without me noticing him, but it wasn't worth it to stay here, listening to his crazy, obsessive words. It didn't really matter anymore how he'd done it. I just wanted to go inside and call the police.

"It's your word against ours, you know, if you're telling the school officials," he said to Jesse, his voice cold. "You can show them your pictures, but you won't prove anything with it. Yeah, sure, you'll be able to prove that there's something going on between Rose and me. But that is all. You won't be able to prove when it's happened. It could've happened before graduation or after. Nobody will know for sure. So be smart and leave it alone. If you don't, I'll go to the police and ask for a restraining order. What's it going to be?"

Jesse clenched his fists again as he stared at Dimitri angrily. "I don't care what you'll do. I just came to take Rose back and you're not going to stop me."

He was really starting to scare me. The way he talked about me, like I belonged to him… It frightened me.

"Fine. Then I'll just call the police," Dimitri said, taking out his cellphone. "Rose, please go inside now and wait for me there."

I nodded and turned to the door. I didn't make it far, though. Jesse had his hands on me in a matter of seconds. But Dimitri was fast, too, and he pulled Jesse away from me. I let out a scream of pain when Jesse's hands started to pull at my hair, still trying to hold on to me. I managed to turn around and kneed him in the stomach.

"Roza, go inside and call the police!" Dimitri ordered as he tried to restrain Jesse.

Jesse was kicking around violently, like some wild animal. He was out of control and kept yelling my name and how I was going to pay for this. I sprinted toward the door and jerked it open. But before I went in, I looked over my shoulder. Jesse was still struggling to get free. Dimitri noticed me standing in the doorway and said, "Go!"

I was about to turn away and do as I was told, but then something caught my eye. I stood there frozen as I realized what it was that I'd seen in Jesse's hand.

"Dimitri, watch out!" I screeched.

I shouldn't have yelled. I'd only distracted him by calling his name. If I'd just gone inside, he would have seen. He would have seen the pocket knife Jesse was holding. But he didn't. Because of me. Because he'd been focused on _me_.

It all happened so fast. Dimitri looked up at me as he still tried to control Jesse. He was distracted, though, and didn't pay attention to what Jesse was doing. I did. I wanted to scream again, but I couldn't find my voice. Instead, I just stared as Jesse thrust his knife into Dimitri's stomach.

Dimitri's eyes widened in shock. It was only briefly, though. As if nothing had happened, he pushed Jesse off of him and punched him in the jaw. Twice. Jesse stumbled backwards and fell down on the ground, the knife still in his hand.

I ran back to Dimitri. He was leaning against the wall now, his hand on his stomach. Slowly, he sank down against the wall. I crouched down beside him and pulled his hand away from his stomach. His fingers were covered in blood. Slowly, the blood spread across his shirt. I looked back up at his face. His eyes were closed as he leaned his head back against the wall.

I turned around to Jesse. He scrambled to his feet and stared at the bloody knife in his hands.

"What did you do?" I cried.

He looked up at me, a confused look on his face. "I… I didn't mean to – I just wanted to…"

He closed his mouth, looked back down at the knife and then threw it on the ground. He looked at me one last time before he sprinted away. I didn't care. I just wanted Dimitri to be okay. I turned back to him and put my hands on his stomach and pressed against the wound. Dimitri groaned, but didn't open his eyes.

Suddenly, the door opened and a woman walked outside. She'd probably heard the commotion. She gasped when she saw us.

"Please call 911!" I said. "He's been stabbed. He needs to get to the hospital."

The woman ran back inside. I hoped it wouldn't take long for the ambulance to get here. I didn't know how long Dimitri would last until – _Don't think about that, Rose!_

"Dimitri?" I said.

He opened his eyes and looked at me.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, my voice wavering. "I'm so sorry. I should've gone inside when you said so. It's my fault-"

"Shh, it's okay, Roza," Dimitri said.

I started to cry. "No, it's not. You're not okay."

"Roza, don't cry," he said, gritting his teeth as he tried to suppress the pain. "It's going to be okay. I'll be okay."

"I don't want to lose you," I choked out.

"Roza, look at me," Dimitri said. He put his hand against my cheek and said, "You won't lose me. I promise."

I tried to control my sobs. "I love you," I managed to say.

Dimitri smiled slightly and wiped the tears from my face. "I know you do. I love you, too."

The door opened again and the woman came running outside. This time she had others with her. I didn't pay any attention to them, though. I just looked at the woman, hoping she'd tell me they were coming to get Dimitri and bring him to the hospital.

"They're coming," she said. "They would be here in a few minutes, they said."

I sighed in relief. "Thank you."

More people gathered around us. I wanted to yell at them to either help us or just leave. I realized, though, that there was nothing they could do. We could only wait for help.

It seemed like an eternity before the ambulance arrived. By now, Dimitri's shirt was soaked in blood. He'd closed his eyes again and his face looked pale.

"Dimitri, they're here," I said, shaking his shoulder gently.

He didn't open his eyes.

"Dimitri?" I shook his shoulder again, but he still didn't react. Oh my God. Could it be that he was… _No! No, no, no. You promised me I wouldn't lose you._ "Dimitri! Dimitri, wake up!"

"Miss, you have to step aside," someone said, just as someone else grabbed my shoulders and started to pull me away from Dimitri.

"He isn't waking up!" I exclaimed. "Why isn't he waking up?"

Nobody answered me. A few paramedics were gathered around Dimitri, checking his pulse. After a few moments, they put him on a gurney and wheeled him over to the ambulance. I tried to follow them, but one of the paramedics was still holding me.

"Miss, I need to check if you have any wounds. Can you please-"

"I don't have any wounds!" I interrupted as I struggled to get free. "I need to go to Dimitri. I need to know if he's okay."

"You can't go there now, miss," the paramedic said.

"But I have to-"

"You can't help him now. You have to wait-"

"Let go!" I yelled. "Let go of me! I need to go to Dimitri."

I trashed against the man, trying to break free from his hold on me, and called for Dimitri over and over again.

"Dimitri!" I cried out one last time as the ambulance drove away.

The paramedic finally let me go and I collapsed on the ground, tears streaming down my face. The man sat down beside me, put his arm around me and let me cry on his shoulder. After a few minutes, a couple of other paramedics walked over to us. They all helped me up and brought me back to the second ambulance. I sat down on the gurney, still crying. After a while, I stopped crying and just sat there as they examined me, praying Dimitri was still alive.

* * *

**Whew! Long chapter. Before you all start to panic, let me remind you that there will be a sequel so you know your favorite Russian will survive this ;)  
So, Jesse is behind it all! And Camille helped him. I think most of you figured it out. But what about Tasha then? If she wasn't working with Jesse and Camille, why was she trying to break into Rose's locker? **

**Anyway, I'll try to update the next chapter as soon as possible! And please leave a review on your way out ;)**

**Have a nice day/evening! :) **


	37. Chapter 37

**Thank you very much for all the reviews! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 37**

**RPOV**

By now, the police had also arrived. I hadn't known the woman had also called the cops. I guess it was dumb to think that she wouldn't after I'd told her Dimitri had been stabbed. I didn't pay attention to them, though. I just needed someone to get me to Dimitri.

"I need to see Dimitri," I said to no one in particular. I tried to stand, but the paramedic pushed me down again as he continued to wipe the blood off my face and hands. "Can someone take me to him?"

"Rose?"

I shut up when I heard that voice. Oh no. It was my mom. I'd completely forgotten that she was working tonight. Crap. She was standing a few feet away and a look of shock crossed her face as she took me in.

"Oh my God, Rose!" she exclaimed. "What happened? Why are you covered in blood?"

The paramedic didn't stop her when she jumped into the ambulance and put her arms around me. I started to cry again.

"Sweetie, what happened to you?" She brushed a few strands of hair out of my face and looked at me, concerned. I just shook my head, unable to give a response. "What happened to my daughter?" she said as she turned to the paramedic.

"Your daughter is fine, ma'am," he answered. "She just got a couple of bruises and scratches. The other guy she was with has been brought back to the hospital. He had severe injuries. That is all I know."

"What guy?" Mom turned back to me, a frown on her face. Now that she knew I was fine, she didn't look so concerned anymore. "Who where you with? And what happened?"

One of my mom's colleagues entered the ambulance and said, "Janine, calm down." He put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it before turning his attention to me.

"Hi, my name is Mikhail Tanner. I'm one of your mom's colleagues," he said, sticking out his hand. I took his hand and shook it as he offered me a small smile. "I talked to one of the residents," he said as he nodded at Dimitri's apartment building, "and she told me a little about the incident, but she didn't have any details. I was hoping you could help me with that."

I didn't say anything. I just stared down at my hands. They were still covered in Dimitri's blood. A tear leaked out of the corner of my eye and I quickly wiped it away. When I kept quiet, he continued, "Well, Mrs. Brill told me one of the residents from this building, Dimitri Belikov, got stabbed." My mom gasped and her eyes snapped wide open as she heard his name, but she didn't interrupt as officer Tanner talked. "She said she found you with him near the entrance and that you asked her to call 911. Is that correct?"

I nodded.

"Okay. Now, could you tell me what happened before she found you?"

I took a deep breath and wiped at my eyes again. "We were..." I cleared my throat and tried again, trying to ignore my mother's presence. "We were outside…My ex-boyfriend, Jesse, was suddenly there. He was angry and acting crazy. He wanted…he wanted me to come with him. He was scaring me and Dimitri…" I started sobbing again.

"Easy, Rose," Mikhail said as he put his hand on my shoulder. I didn't bother to ask how he knew my name. Mom had probably told him lots about me. "Take a few deep breaths."

I did, but it wasn't helping much. "Dimitri… h-he told me to go inside and call the cops," I managed to choke out. "But then Jesse grabbed me and…they started fighting. A-and then Jesse pulled a knife and…stabbed him."

"Is this the knife?" Mikhail asked as he held up a plastic bag with the bloody knife in it.

I nodded.

"What about Jesse?"

"H-he ran off," I said. "I don't know where to."

"Can you give me his full name?"

"Jesse Zeklos."

"Okay. Thanks."

Tears were streaming down my face as I looked down at my bloody hands again. Dimitri's blood… "I need to see him! I need to see Dimitri," I cried. "I need to know if he's okay." I turned to my mom. "Mom, please… I need to see him."

"Rose, you need to come with us to the station. To give your statement," Mikhail said.

Mom turned to him. "Don't you see now is not the right time?" she snapped. "She's covered in blood, hurt and tired. She needs to get home and get some rest."

"But-"

"Mikhail, now is not the time!" Mom repeated. "We'll come to the station in the morning for her statement, okay?"

He glanced at me again and said at last, "Okay. I'll see you in the morning then."

"Mom, I can't go home," I said. "I need to go to Dimitri."

"Rose, you need to-"

"No!" I exclaimed. "I need to see Dimitri! Please, Mom…"

She looked torn, but at last she sighed and gave in, "Fine. But we're not staying there all night, okay? You need some sleep. We'll just check if he's okay and then we'll go home."

"Okay," I said quickly. I guess it was better than nothing and maybe I'd be able to change her mind when we'd get there.

"Mikhail, do you mind if I take the car?" she said as we exited the ambulance.

"No, go ahead. I'll ride with someone else when I'm finished here," Mikhail responded.

"Okay. Thanks."

We got inside the car and we drove to the hospital in silence. I was glad she didn't ask any questions. I knew she would start to ask questions soon, though. Maybe not tonight, but if it wasn't now, it would be tomorrow. All I could say was that I wasn't looking forward to it.

When we arrived, I jumped out of the car and sprinted toward the emergency room. My mom was right behind me. I came to a stop at the nurses' station and said, breathless, "I'm looking for a man who's been brought here about half an hour ago. He…he was hurt badly. Can you tell me where he is?"

"Are you family?" the nurse asked.

I hesitated, but then said, "Yes."

I knew they wouldn't give me any information if I wasn't family. And I couldn't tell the nurse I was his girlfriend with my mom here with me. Now was not the time for her to find out what was really going on.

"Okay. Why don't you wait over there," she said as she pointed to the waiting room, "and then I'll go get the doctor."

I nodded and walked toward the waiting room, with my mom in tow. She sat down beside me without saying a word. She just looked at me intently.

"You should get cleaned up," she said at last. "You're still covered in blood."

"I'll clean myself up later," I mumbled.

We waited for over ten minutes before the nurse finally came back – without the doctor.

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid you'll have to wait a little more. The doctor is not available now, but he'll be here as soon as possible."

I shot up from my seat. "What do you mean, he's not available? Where is he? Where is Dimitri? Is he in surgery?"

"Please calm down, miss," the nurse said. "I can't help you right now, but as soon as I have any news I'll tell you."

She walked back to the nurses' station. I sighed and sat back down, praying Dimitri would be alright. After a while the nurse came back with a box and a clipboard.

"These are his belongings," she said as she handed me the box. I looked inside the box and found his wallet and cell phone. "Could you please fill out this form and then give it back to me? We need as much information as possible."

I nodded and took the clipboard from her. She handed me a pen and disappeared again. I stared at the form and wrote down what I knew. That wasn't much. I didn't know anything about his life insurance, if he was allergic to something. I didn't know anything.

"Rose?" Mom said hesitantly. "What's the matter?"

"I… I can't fill out this form. I don't know anything."

"What about his family? When will they be here?" Mom asked.

My eyes widened in shock. Oh my God. His family had no clue what had happened to him. I needed to tell them.

My mom realized this too. "Oh, right… They don't know yet what has happened."

I stared at Dimitri's phone and picked it up. I didn't know his family – aside from Sonya, but I didn't have her number. I would have to call with Dimitri's phone. I searched for his sister's number and when I found it, I dialed the number. It was past midnight now so she was probably asleep, but hopefully she'd hear her phone.

"Hello?"

I held back a sob. "Mrs. Hale?" I said in a tight voice.

"Who is this? And why do you have my brother's phone?" she asked.

"It's… It's Rose," I said. "Dimitri has been in an incident. You need to come to the hospital now."

I gave her a short version of what had happened and then she disconnected. I didn't know any other family members so I didn't know who else to call. I figured his sister would tell the rest of her family and they'd come as soon as possible.

As we waited for more news, a nurse came to help me get cleaned up. When we returned to the waiting room, a man was there.

"Miss?" he said as he gave me a small smile. "What's your name?"

"Rose Hathaway," I replied, a little dazed.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Crawford," the man said.

"Have you any news on Dimitri? Will he be okay? Where is he?"

"Calm down, Rose," the man said gently. He took a seat next to me and motioned for me to sit down again. I did. "He will be alright."

"He will?" I asked. I didn't dare to hope.

Dr. Crawford nodded. "He got lucky. No vital organs were hit, but the stomach injury required surgery."

I started crying again, but this time it was from relief. "And you're sure he'll be okay?" I sniffled.

"Yes, yes. It'll take some time to heal, but he'll be fine," the doctor said, giving me a small smile.

"Can I see him?" I asked.

"He's still in recovery so I'm not supposed to let anyone in."

"Please?" I begged. "I need to see if he's alright."

Dr. Crawford sighed. "Fine. But only for a couple of minutes."

I sighed in relief. "Thank you."

"Come with me," he said, getting up. I followed him down the halls to the room Dimitri was in. "He's still under anesthesia, though," he said. "He won't wake up until over a few hours. I'm still running a few tests, but I expect a full recovery."

I breathed out a sigh of relief. Dimitri would be okay. He would heal. He would be fine. Thank God…

The doctor opened the door for me, but stopped me from going in. "Only a couple of minutes," he said again. "I'll wait here."

I nodded and went inside. I sucked in a breath when I saw him lying there on the bed, hooked up to an IV. Next to the bed, there was a machine, monitoring his heart rate. It was steady.

Slowly, I walked toward his bed. I took a deep breath and took his hand in mine as I watched him sleep. He looked so peaceful. I bent down and kissed his forehead.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered. "I'm so, so sorry."

I wiped my eyes with my free hand, but the tears kept streaming down my face. When the door opened again, I turned around to the doctor.

"I'm sorry, but you have to go now," Dr. Crawford said.

I nodded and turned to Dimitri again. "I love you, Dimitri," I whispered before kissing him again. "I'll come back. I promise."

I let go of his hand and left the room. Dr. Crawford brought me back to the waiting room. My mom was there, pacing the floor. She looked up at me when I entered and asked, "How is he?"

"Okay, I guess," I said, my voice trembling. I let out a shaky breath and wiped at my eyes again. "He'll be okay."

Mom let out a sigh and walked up to me. She pulled me against her chest and hugged me. "Shh, you don't have to cry. He's going to be alright." I nodded and she let go of me. "We should go home now. You need to rest."

"No, I have to wait until his family is here," I said.

Luckily, they arrived a few minutes later. I knew he had a big family, but man… I'd never thought they'd be with so many! Mrs. Hale saw me and she ran up to me. The rest of the family followed her.

"Where is he? Will he be okay?" she said, frantic. "What happened?"

"He'll be okay," I said. "The doctor said he got lucky. No vital organs were hit when he got stabbed. He did require a surgery, though. But the doctor said he'll be okay. He expects a full recovery."

"Oh thank God!"

They all looked relieved. Mrs. Hale kept asking me questions and I tried to answer them as best as I could. I gave her the form and asked her to fill it out. She gave it to a woman who looked like she was in her forties. I figured it was Dimitri's mother. She gave me a kind smile before sitting down and starting to fill out the form.

A nurse came to inform them about Dimitri. My mom led me away from his family, but then I remembered I still had Dimitri's wallet and phone. I ran back to Mrs. Hale and handed them to her. She thanked me and I walked back to my mom.

She put her arm around my shoulder as we walked back to the car. I'd rather stay at the hospital and wait for Dimitri to wake up, but I didn't want to disturb his family. They deserved some alone time with him. I could go back tomorrow – if my mom would let me.

I knew she was dying to know what was going on, but she was holding back because I was so fragile right now. I knew she would freak out when she found out the truth, but I couldn't think about that now. All that matter right now was that Dimitri was okay. He would make a full recovery. He would be fine. It was all that mattered.

* * *

**There. Dimitri will be okay. :)  
Next chapter Rose will have to go to the police station to have a talk with Mikhail. Will she tell him the truth? And what about Janine? How long will it take for her to figure out what's going on? **

**Please leave a review on your way out and have a nice day ;)**


	38. Chapter 38

**Thank you very much for all the reviews! :)**

**I'm going on a trip this Tuesday so I won't be able to update until I come back, which is Friday. There might be a chance I'll update one more chapter before I leave, though. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

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**CHAPTER 38**

**RPOV**

I didn't sleep that night. I couldn't. I knew Dimitri would be alright, but I wouldn't be able to sleep until I'd seen him – awake. I wanted to go back to the hospital in the morning, but my mom reminded me we had to go to the police station first.

When we got there, Mikhail was already there and waiting for us. He told us he'd been up all night and that he'd spoken to Dimitri's family in the hospital. I asked him if there was more news about Dimitri. He told me Dimitri was out of recovery and that his family was with him now.

"Have you found Jesse yet?" I asked.

"No, I'm afraid not. We've questioned his parents, but they don't know where he is." Mikhail looked at my mom and said, "The captain wants to see you."

"Why?"

"He's going to take you off the case," he said, giving her an apologetic look.

"What?" Mom exclaimed. "He can't do that."

"Just go see what he says while Rose gives me her statement," Mikhail sighed. I suddenly noticed how tired he looked.

"I want to be there when she does," Mom said.

"Well, it's up to Rose. She's an adult now so technically she doesn't need any parents to be present during the-"

"I don't care," Mom interrupted.

Mikhail turned to me and said, "What do you say, Rose?"

"I'd rather go in alone," I said quietly, averting my eyes from my mom.

"Rose-" Mom started.

"Janine, you should go to the captain now," Mikhail said. He put his hand on my shoulder and led me away. He opened a door and gestured for me to go inside. I looked up at my mom and saw her staring at me, hurt.

"I'm sorry," I said softly before going in.

Mikhail closed the door behind me and got everything ready before sitting down across the table from me. I wrapped my arms around myself and waited for Mikhail to start.

"So, Rose, can you tell me what happened last night?" Mikhail said at last.

I frowned. "I told you that already."

He gave me a faint smile. "I know, but I need to know the details."

"Oh. Okay."

I told him everything what had happened last night. I told him all the details I could remember. I also decided to tell him about the notes and the calls and Jesse's stalking when we'd just broken up. The only thing I didn't mention was that Dimitri and I had been kissing when Jesse suddenly had appeared. I didn't think it was a good idea if he knew Dimitri and I were in a relationship. Mikhail listened intently and typed away on his laptop as I spoke.

"Okay, correct me if I'm wrong," Mikhail said when I was done talking. "Jesse started stalking you when you broke up with him, right? It went on until your teacher, Dimitri Belikov, caught him hurting you. Then it stopped for a few months, but then you started to get notes and anonymous calls. Is that correct?" I nodded and let him continue. "You informed Dimitri about this, because he seemed trustworthy to you. You didn't find out who'd been harassing you until last night, when Jesse told you. And you were with Dimitri when he confronted you, right?"

I nodded again.

Sighing, Mikhail ran his hand through his hair. "Okay. So he stabbed Dimitri out of revenge for helping you?"

"That could be true, but…"

"But what?" Mikhail asked when I didn't continue.

I hesitated, but then decided to tell him. "Well, Jesse is very jealous and he thought Dimitri and I…he thought that we're together."

"And are you?" Mikhail questioned.

"No," I lied. "Of course not. Besides, Jesse thought that of every guy I was talking to. Whenever I talked to Eddie – he's my best friend – he would think I was dating Eddie. When Dimitri helped me out when Jesse was harassing me, he thought the same about Dimitri."

"Hmm. And what did the notes say?" Mikhail asked.

"Well, they were about Dimitri and me. He threatened he would tell my mom about us."

"But there was nothing going on between you and Dimitri?"

I shook my head.

"And the calls?"

"The same," I responded. "At first, he wouldn't say anything, though."

"So, what were you doing with Dimitri out there?" Mikhail asked.

I bit my lip. I couldn't tell him the truth, right? Who knows what might happen to Dimitri when word would get out he'd been dating his student for months now.

"Rose, I need to know the truth," Mikhail said after a few minutes of silence. "I'm only trying to help you. So please, if there's something you've been keeping from me, tell me now."

I nodded and took a deep breath. "Dimitri and I… we'd just come back from a date," I said quietly.

"So Jesse was right? You were dating him?"

I shook my head. "N-no. It wasn't like that. Dimitri helped me out a lot when I had trouble with Jesse. He was always there for me when I needed him. And well, you know…it developed into something more. But he was still my teacher so we didn't do anything about it. I didn't want him to lose his job because of me."

Oh God. I couldn't believe I was lying to a police officer. But what else could I do? If I told the truth, Dimitri would get in a lot of trouble.

"So you waited until you were graduated?"

"Yes."

"And Jesse knew about the date?"

"No. At least, I didn't think so. He must've followed us. I don't know. But he was there all of a sudden and he freaked out. I thought he was over me because he'd started dating Camille, but apparently he was only dating her to get her to help him with the notes."

"Camille?" Mikhail asked. "You haven't mentioned her before."

"Camille Conta," I said. "She's someone from my year. She didn't like me very much. Jesse started dating her and she put the notes in my locker for him. I don't think she meant me harm, though. I think she just did it because she was in love with him."

"Why do you think that?"

"I don't know. From the things Jesse said… I think she really loved him and that it was the reason why she helped him."

"Okay. Thank you," Mikhail said. "That was all for now. If I have more questions, I'll come to you." He took something out of his wallet and placed it on the desk. "That's my card. You can call me if you think of something else. Or when you see Jesse."

"Okay, thanks," I said, taking the card. I put it away and looked up at him again. "Will you tell my mom? You know, about Dimitri and me."

He sighed. "I think _you_ should tell her. She deserves to know the truth. Not only about your teacher, but also about everything that has happened with Jesse. Why did you never tell her he was harassing you?"

"She liked Jesse," I said. "And I didn't want her to worry about me. Dimitri told me several times I should tell her, but I always thought it wouldn't make a difference. I should've listened to him. Then this would've never happened. Then he wouldn't have gotten hurt." Tears stung in my eyes, but I refused to cry again. "So…what will happen to Jesse when you find him?"

"He'll probably go to jail," Mikhail said.

I nodded and started to get up. "Well, thanks."

Mikhail walked me outside. My mom stood in the hall, leaning against the wall. As soon as she saw us, she came striding toward us.

"So what did the captain say?" Mikhail asked her.

"He took me off the case," she grumbled. "Said I was too involved. That I wouldn't be able to be objective."

"Well, he's probably right," he responded. "I mean, your daughter is involved in this after all."

"I guess," Mom muttered, clearly not happy.

Mikhail glanced at me and gave me a small smile. "Thank you for your cooperation, Rose."

"No problem," I said quietly.

He gave us a nod and left.

"So how did it go?" Mom asked as we walked back to the car.

"It was okay," I replied.

"Will you tell me now what's happened?" Mom asked. "I'd really like to know what you were doing out there."

"Can we please talk about that later?" I pleaded. "I want to see Dimitri."

She sighed. "Fine," she gave in. "But we will talk about it, Rose. You won't be able to avoid it forever."

I nodded. "I know, Mom."

A couple of police officers passed us by. I heard them talking about questioning Jesse's parents. Mom stopped walking and turned to me.

"You know what," she said. "You can take the car and go to the hospital. I'll catch up with you later there."

"Mom, what are you going to do?" I asked.

"I'll be back in a few hours," she said, ignoring my question. She walked back to the police station and left me in the parking lot.

"Great," I muttered.

She would probably try to find out what was really going on. Or maybe she wanted more information on Jesse. I didn't know and for the moment, I didn't care. I just wanted to get to the hospital as soon as possible.

When I arrived there, I made my way to the nurses' station. I figured they'd probably moved Dimitri to a different room now that he was out of recovery. I was right. He did get moved, but the nurse wouldn't tell me which room at first. Because I wasn't family.

"I'm his girlfriend," I said, getting impatient. "Tell me where is!"

She pursed her lips and just looked at me. Damnit, where was the other nurse, the kind one from last night?

I sighed. "Where is the other nurse? The one I spoke to last night? Or Dr. Crawford? Where is he?"

"Rose!" I turned around when I heard my name and saw Mrs. Hale making her way toward me. "Come with me. They've moved him to a different floor."

She beckoned me over to the elevators. Before following her inside, I glared at the unhelpful nurse. It was kind of awkward, standing in the elevator with Mrs. Hale since we didn't have a very good relationship.

"So, umm… How is he?"

"He woke up an hour ago," she responded.

"Oh."

She looked down at me. "He's been asking for you."

"Really?"

"Don't act so surprised," she said. "You know how he feels about you."

My cheeks burned red. I suddenly remembered she didn't know yet that we were back together. "But…"

"Don't think that I don't know that you're back together with my brother," she said. Or maybe she did know. "I've seen the change in him." She sighed and continued quietly, "He was a complete mess when you'd broken things off. I'd never seen him like this before. And…it hurt me to see him like that," she admitted. "I thought it would be good for him if he didn't see you anymore, but it wasn't. It _isn't_ good for him."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Was she admitting that I might be good for her brother? Well, better late than never, I guess.

"I guess I was wrong about you," she said. "When I arrived here last night and saw you…saw the look on your face… " She shook her head slightly and sighed again, "Yeah, I realize now that you do love my brother."

"I'm glad you believe me now," I said.

The elevator came to a stop. As we made our way down the hall, Mrs. Hale continued, "Dimitri told us what happened. Not in detail, but enough to know how it all happened."

"Oh. I'm really sorry," I said. "If I would've known Jesse was capable of something like that, I-"

"You don't have to apologize, Rose. It's not your fault," she said. "You never know what someone's capable of. You think you know a person, but sometimes…they turn out to be a whole different person."

"Yeah," I said softly. "Thanks for understanding, Mrs. Hale."

"It's Sonya," she said, giving me a small smile. "I'm no longer your teacher." She came to a halt and said, "My mother and sister are with Dimitri now. Do you mind waiting for a bit?"

"Okay. No problem."

A couple of minutes later, the door opened and the kind woman from last night walked outside with a young girl. She looked my age. They walked toward us and I quickly got up.

"Hi," I said, suddenly nervous.

"Hello," the woman said smiling. "You must be Rose Hathaway? The girl Dimka's been asking for?"

I nodded. "Yes. We met last night."

"Yes, I remember you," she said. "You were there with him? When it happened?"

I nodded once again. "Yes. I'm really sorry about what happened to your son, Mrs. Belikov."

"It's Olena, dear," she said. "And this is Viktoria," she added as she nodded at the younger girl.

Viktoria smiled politely and then sat down next to Sonya.

"It's nice to meet you," I said, giving her a tentative smile.

"It's nice to meet you, too," Olena said, smiling back.

I'd never thought I'd meet Dimitri's mother under these circumstances. Hopefully, she didn't blame me for what had happened to her son. I blamed myself enough already. From the looks of it, she didn't. She was just as kind as last night.

"Well, you should go inside," she said. "He really wants to see you."

I nodded and turned away from them. When I got to the door, I hesitated. I turned back to look at Olena and she smiled encouragingly. Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and went inside.

* * *

**You think that Mikhail believed Rose when she said there was nothing going on between her and Dimitri during the school year? And what do you think of Sonya's change of heart? Do you think she's sincere? **

**Please leave a review and let me know what you think. Have a nice weekend ;)**


	39. Chapter 39

**Thanks for the reviews! :) **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 39**

**JPOV**

I paced the floor as I waited impatiently for Mikhail to get off the phone. I needed answers and I needed them now.

"Yes, thank you," Mikhail said into the phone. "I'll visit Camille Conta later today."

Camille Conta? Wasn't she one of the grad students? What did she have to do with this? So much questions and no answers. I still didn't know what had happened to Rose last night. I still didn't know why she'd been with Dimitri Belikov and Jesse. Before she'd left, she'd told me she was going to Lissa. She'd lied to me. I wanted to know why. And why would she meet up with Dimitri Belikov? I wasn't sure if I really wanted to know the truth. I had my suspicions, but I hoped I was wrong.

Mikhail finally disconnected and wrote something down on a piece of paper.

"Mikhail," I said. I stopped pacing and leaned forward, putting my hands on his desk. "I _need_ to know what Rose told you."

Mikhail sighed and put his pen down. "Janine, I really think you should discuss this with your daughter."

"I want to, but _she_ doesn't want to. So _you_ have to tell me."

"I can't do that, Janine," he said, shaking his head.

I sat down on the chair and crossed my arms. "Why not?"

"I told you, it's something Rose should tell you."

"She won't. She told me she would tell me later, but I have a feeling there are things she doesn't want to tell me. Otherwise she would've told me already."

"Well, maybe she's afraid of how you'd react," Mikhail retorted.

I arched an eyebrow. "Why would she be afraid to tell me? I'm her mother!" I said, a little outraged. "She can tell me anything."

He sighed again and put his face in his hands. "I don't know. But she seemed scared when I told her she should fill you in on everything."

"On _what_?" I exclaimed. "On what should she fill me in? Has it something to do with Dimitri Belikov? Is there something-"

"Look, I need to leave. I have to go back to Jesse's parents. See if they heard anything from him," Mikhail said as he got up. "I also need to pay Camille Conta a visit. Apparently, she's Jesse's girlfriend. She might know where he is."

Now I remembered. Camille was the girl Jesse was with during the reception at school. His girlfriend.

"I'm coming with you," I said.

"No, you can't," he said, coming to a stop in front of me. "You're not working on this case anymore, remember?"

"I'm not coming with you as an officer. I'm coming with you as a mother," I said firmly. "I want to tell them what I think of their son scaring the shit out of my daughter. I'd also like to inform them what will happen if their son ever scares my daughter again." Mikhail opened his mouth to say something, but I cut him off. "You won't stop me from coming with you. No matter what you'll say. So make this easy and let's get the hell out of here."

He nodded, knowing arguing wouldn't have any use, and turned toward the door. I grabbed my jacket from the chair and followed him outside. I didn't know everything that had happened, but I knew that Jesse was a threat to my daughter and we needed to find him as soon as possible. Of course, I wasn't allowed to help my colleagues anymore, but that was okay. I would do some investigation on my own, starting with questioning Jesse's parents.

**RPOV**

Dimitri looked up at me as soon as I entered. A smile spread across his face as I approached him, but it was a pained smile. He was lying in the hospital bed, still hooked up to the IV.

"Hey," I whispered.

"Roza," he said, his voice hoarse. "You're here."

I smiled and took his hand in mine. I bent forward and kissed his cheek.

"I'm sorry," I whispered as I buried my face in his neck. Before I knew it, I was crying again. "I'm so sorry. It's all my fault. I should've listened to you. I'm so sorry, Dimitri."

"Shh, it's okay," Dimitri said soothingly. "This is not your fault, Roza."

I pulled back slightly so I could look at him. "It is!"

"It's not," he insisted.

"You told me to go inside. I didn't," I sniffled. "I was being stubborn."

"He would've tried to get to you anyway. No matter where you were at that moment. He would've probably just followed you inside."

"I shouldn't have said something. I distracted you. You would've seen the knife if I'd just kept my mouth shut. It's _my_ fault this happened."

"Stop, Roza," Dimitri said firmly. "It's not your fault. You hear me? It's _not_ your fault."

He kissed my hair as I kept crying into his neck. I couldn't believe how much I'd cried the past twenty-four hours. I'd never cried so much in my entire life.

"Stop crying," he whispered. "I'm okay now."

"You almost died! How can you say you're okay?" I said in a muffled voice.

"But I didn't die, Roza. And the doctor said I'll make a full recovery. I'll be fine," Dimitri said softly. He kissed my hair again. "Now please stop crying, milaya. I hate to see you like this."

I looked up at him and wiped at my eyes. He gave me a small smile and put his hand against my cheek. I leaned into his touch and closed my eyes briefly.

"I was so scared I'd lost you," I whispered. "When the ambulance got there… You didn't react. You wouldn't wake up. For a moment, I thought you were dead."

Dimitri wiped a tear from my cheek and murmured, "I told you that you wouldn't lose me, Roza."

As I interlocked our fingers, I turned my head and kissed the palm of his hand. "I love you."

"I love you too." He patted the spot next to him. "Come lie down with me."

I was hesitant. "Are you sure? I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't hurt me," he said reassuringly.

He moved a little to the side and I carefully climbed into the bed with him. He put his free arm around me and pressed his lips against my hair. I sighed in contentment and rested my head on his chest.

"How are you feeling?" I asked softly. "Does it hurt a lot?"

"It's okay," Dimitri responded. "It could've been worse."

I sighed. He gave me a small smile and tucked my hair behind my ear.

"You look tired," he said. "Have you slept at all?"

I shook my head. "I couldn't sleep."

"You should get some sleep now."

"No. Not now. I need to be with you now."

"You are. Just close your eyes, milaya. I'm not going anywhere." He kissed the top of my head and muttered, "It's not like I can go anywhere, even if I wanted to."

I laughed softly and he smiled reluctantly.

"Now close your eyes and rest, Roza," he whispered.

I decided not to argue and closed my eyes. I felt him kiss my hair again before I fell asleep to the steady beating of his heart.

**DPOV**

Absentmindedly, I stroked Roza's hair as I watched her sleep. I was glad to have her back in my arms. I'd been worried sick about her when I'd woken up this morning, not knowing what had happened to her after I'd passed out last night.

Thinking back of last night, it was not how I'd imagined our date. Well, the first part was good. But the other part… That was something I'd rather not repeat. Ever.

Suddenly, the door opened and my family came inside. I looked up at them and gave them a small smile.

"Mama, who's that girl lying next to uncle Dimka?" Paul asked, tugging at Karolina's hand. "She's pretty."

"That must be Rose. She helped uncle Dimka get to the hospital," Karolina answered. "But I don't know what she's doing in his bed," she added, clearly amused. She arched her eyebrow and said, "So, Dimka, what _is_ she doing in your bed?"

"She's sleeping," I responded.

Karolina rolled her eyes. "I can see that, yeah."

"Then why are you asking?" I retorted.

"Stop it, you two," Mama chastised. "You know what Karolina means, Dimka. Who is she? Why haven't you ever told us about her?"

Sonya sat down on the chair near my bed and crossed her arms. "This is going to be fun," she said.

I glared at her and she grinned.

"Honey, don't make this even harder for your brother, okay?" Ethan said, squeezing her shoulder.

"I'm not doing anything," Sonya said shrugging.

"What's going on here?" Karolina asked frowning. "What do you know that we don't know?"

Sonya smiled smugly. "Oh, Dimka will tell you. Don't worry."

They all turned to me expectantly, waiting for an explanation. It made me feel a little uncomfortable.

"Well, Roza is my girlfriend," I said at last.

"Your girlfriend?" Viktoria exclaimed.

"Shh!" I said in a hushed voice. "Don't wake her up."

"Sorry," Viktoria mumbled. "But…since when do you have a girlfriend?"

"Since a couple of months," I replied. _At least, if you didn't count our breakup…_

"She looks so young," Mama noted.

"That's because she _is_ young," Sonya said.

"Maybe it's time we go home, honey," Ethan said, clearing his throat. "You need to rest."

"I don't need to rest!" Sonya argued.

"Yes, you do," Ethan said. "You're starting to get cranky again."

"I'm not cranky!" Sonya countered.

"Yes, you are," Viktoria said dryly.

"Let's go, honey," Ethan said, helping her up. Sonya's belly had become big. She was nearing the nine months and it was like she was only getting crankier with the day. "And don't shout, Rose is still sleeping."

"Well, if you woke Rose up, she would tell you I'm not cranky," she said as she waddled to the door. "I talked to her earlier and I was very polite. I'm sure she will confirm it!"

Ethan rolled his eyes when Sonya didn't look and closed the door behind him. Then the door suddenly opened again and Sonya stuck her head back inside, "Oh yeah, Tasha was here earlier, but I sent her away. Figured you wouldn't want to see her. You're welcome." The door closed again.

"So how did you meet her?" Karolina asked as if Sonya hadn't interrupted the questioning.

"And why have you never mentioned her before?" Mama asked.

"And why does Sonya know?" Viktoria asked. "And Ethan?"

"Okay, not all at once, please," I said. "It's a long story, really." Rose stirred in my arms. "Can we please talk about this another time?" I didn't feel like telling my family right now she had been my student. I didn't want them to make a scene in the hospital. Besides, Rose was about to wake up.

"Fine," Mama said. "Now is not the time. I understand that. But I'd like to know, _why_ did this person – Jesse – stab you?"

"I already told you. Jesse is Rose's ex-boyfriend. He doesn't like me very much and he's obsessed with Rose," I said. Rose stirred again. "Can we please talk about this later?" I said, glancing down at Roza. "I promise I'll explain everything later, but not now. Please."

"Okay," Mama said. "I'm sorry. I know this is not the right time."

"It's fine, I-"

"Comrade?" Rose lifted her head to look at me and blinked.

I smiled at her. "Hi Roza. Did you sleep well?"

She nodded. "But only because you were here with me," she said, pecking me on the lips. "How are you – oh my God!" she exclaimed when she finally noticed my family. She shot up and flushed bright red as she stammered, "I'm… I'm so sorry. I didn't know your family was here. I should go."

I grabbed her wrist before she could leave the bed. "No, you don't have to go. It's okay."

"No, no, I don't want to interrupt," Rose said, still trying to get out of the bed. In doing so, she accidently hit me on the stomach. I winced in pain and she gasped when she realized where she'd hit me. "Oh my God! I'm so sorry, Dimitri," she said, covering her mouth with her hand. "Sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"It's alright, milaya," I said, gritting my teeth. In truth, it hurt like hell. The medicine was starting to wear off, I think. "Just sit back down." I leaned closer to her and said softly, "Calm down. They know about us."

She looked at me, her eyes wide. "They do?" she whispered.

I nodded.

"Do they also know about, you know, everything?" she murmured.

I shook my head. "Later."

Rose finally sat back down on the edge of the bed. I pulled her closer, but she glared at me. I sighed and gave up. I guess my family had made her feel uncomfortable. Or mabye she was still embarrassed about what just happened.

"I don't believe we've officially met," Karolina said after a few moments of awkward silence. "I'm Karolina, Dimka's older sister, and this is my son, Paul."

Rose smiled. "It's nice to meet you. My name is Rose." She frowned slightly and added, "But you probably already knew that."

Paul stared at her, his eyes wide. "Wow," he said. "She's even prettier when she's awake."

Rose blushed and I laughed. I quickly stopped, though, because it hurt. Rose scooted closer and looked concerned.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Maybe if I acted like I was in excruciating pain, she would scoot even closer. I decided not to do that, though. I didn't want her to worry.

"I'm okay," I replied, giving her a small smile. She smiled back and I took her hand in mine, squeezing it gently. "So, where's babushka?" I asked. It wasn't until now that I realized she was not here.

"We brought her back home earlier. Her back was hurting," Karolina said. "She'll come back tomorrow."

"Oh. Okay."

"Well, we should go too," Mama said. "We'll come back later today, though."

"Okay. Thanks for coming by," I said.

When they were gone, I pulled Rose closer again. This time, she let me.

"Oh my God, that was so embarrassing," she said in a muffled voice as she hid her face in her hands. "Why didn't you just wake me up? Now I've made a fool of myself in front of your family."

"You needed to rest," I said. "And that's not true. You could never make a fool of yourself." She raised her eyebrows at me. "Okay, maybe sometimes," I admitted.

She huffed and crossed her arms.

"But it's cute," I added quickly, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "You're cute."

"So what did they say?" Rose asked. "Did you tell them I'm your student?"

"No, I haven't told them yet. And you're not my student anymore," I reminded her.

She lay back down on the bed and wrapped her arm around my chest. She was careful to stay away from my stomach this time. "Do you think they'll hate me when they find out the truth?" she asked softly.

"No, of course not," I said. "Why'd you think that, milaya?"

She shrugged. "Because it's kind of my fault you got stabbed."

"Roza, not again please," I sighed, exasperated. "For the last time, it's not your fault."

"I'm sorry," she mumbled.

I tilted her chin so I could look her in the eyes. "Please don't think they'll hate you, Roza. That's not true. They're grateful. If it wasn't for you, I might not be here anymore."

"Don't say that," she whispered.

"But it's true," I said. I pulled her face toward mine and kissed her. "I love you so much."

She smiled through her tears and pressed her lips against mine again. "I love you too, comrade."

She rested her head on my shoulder and sighed.

"So, is Jesse in custody?" I asked.

"No. He ran off, remember?" Rose said. "They're still searching for him."

"What? He's still out there somewhere?" I exclaimed, outraged. "I hope they catch him soon because I don't want him anywhere near you again!"

"Shh," Rose said, looking up at me. "Don't get so upset. It's not good for you right now."

"I'm not upset," I muttered. "I'm just mad."

"They'll find him," she said reassuringly.

"I hope so," I said sighing. "I want you to be safe."

"Don't worry about it," Rose said. "I am safe." She rested her head on my shoulder again and kissed my neck. "I had to go to the police station this morning," she said after a few moments. "They're going to want to talk to you, too."

"What did you tell them?" I asked.

She gave me a short version of what she'd told the officer. She'd lied about a couple of things – like, about when we'd started dating – but I was glad she'd told him about the notes and the calls. I wondered, though, if he really believed we hadn't started dating until after her graduation.

"And your mother?" I asked. "Does she know about us?"

She shook her head. "No, I haven't told her yet. I really should, though."

"Yes, but we should do it together," I said, stroking her cheek.

"Really?" she asked, surprised.

"Of course. You don't have to do this alone," I said smiling. "We were going to tell her anyway. It's just a little sooner than we thought."

"She's going to freak out," Rose sighed. "She'll go mad. She might even try to hit you."

"I don't care," I replied. "She can do whatever she wants, but she can't keep me away from you. Nothing will keep me away from you."

Rose smiled and kissed me. There was a knock on the door and we quickly broke apart. Rose sat up straight and said, "Come in."

The door opened and a man I didn't know entered. He gave Rose a small smile and then addressed me.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Belikov. Officer Tanner," he said, flashing his badge. "I would like to talk to you about last night's events if you're up for it."

"Sure," I said, even though I was starting to get tired again.

"Rose, could you wait outside?" Officer Tanner asked.

Rose nodded and gave my hand a gentle squeeze before getting up and making her way toward the door. Before leaving, she turned around and mouthed to me, "Good luck".

I looked back at officer Tanner, who was taking out his notepad and pen, and braced myself for the questioning.

* * *

**Next chapter will be the last chapter. It should be up this Friday or Saturday. Have a nice week :) **


	40. Chapter 40

**Thank you for the reviews! :)**

**I've got some bad news. I have to bring my laptop in tomorrow because it's... Well, I don't really know what's wrong with it. I hope it can be fixed, but I doubt it. Anyway, I won't be able to update anymore until it gets fixed. I don't know how long it will take before I get my laptop back, though. But I found some time to write the last chapter. I'll start the sequel when I get my laptop back. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Academy. **

* * *

**CHAPTER 40**

**RPOV**

I waited impatiently as officer Tanner questioned Dimitri. I hoped he'd stick to the story I'd told him. Not that I'd changed the story so much. The only lie I'd told was about when Dimitri and I had started dating.

I stopped pacing the floor and sat down on one of the chair in the hallway, tapping my foot impatiently. Suddenly, a young man with blond hair came running down the hallway and was about to open the door to Dimitri's room. I jumped up and stopped him.

"You can't go in now," I told him. "The police is questioning Dimitri."

"Oh," the man said. "Oh. Okay. Then I'll just wait here."

He sat down on the other chair and sighed. I sat down beside hem and glanced at him from the corner of my eye. I'd never seen him before, but I had a feeling this was Ivan, Dimitri's best friend. He looked around the same age as Dimitri.

He saw me looking at him and turned to me. "Who are you actually? I don't think I've ever seen you before. And how do you know Dimitri?"

"Oh. Um, I'm Rose Hathaway," I said. "I…umm…" Now, how was I going to explain this?

"Wait," he suddenly said. "Are you… are you Dimitri's girlfriend? Oh no – I mean, ex-girlfriend. Or are you guys back together?" I frowned and he smiled apologetically. "Um, well, Dimitri told me it was complicated and he didn't give me the whole story. He didn't even tell me your name. So… I'm just guessing."

Huh. I didn't know Dimitri had talked about me to – who was he, actually? Was this really Ivan or some other friend?

"Oh right!" Ivan said, slapping his forehead. "Sorry. Forgot to introduce myself. I'm Ivan. Dimitri's best friend."

"Oh. Yeah, I already thought so," I said smiling. "And yes, I'm Dimitri's girlfriend. The one who complicates his life."

"I didn't mean it like that," Ivan stammered.

I grinned. "I know."

"So, umm, what happened?" Ivan asked. "Olena just called me and told me he's in the hospital, but that's all I got."

I quickly gave him a short version of everything that had happened last night. I left out some stuff, like Jesse's stalking this past year and that Dimitri had been my teacher. I didn't think I should be the one to tell him. It was up to Dimitri – if he wanted to tell Ivan, at least. As I talked, Ivan listened intently and didn't interrupt me once. When I finished, his mouth hanging open.

"Shit," he said. "It sounds like your ex-boyfriend is a lunatic."

I grimaced. "Yeah, I think something is seriously wrong with him."

"And they haven't caught him yet?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Nope. Not yet."

"That sucks," Ivan said.

"I know," I muttered.

We sat there in silence for a while until the door opened. Ivan and I both jumped up from our seats. Mikhail stood in the doorway and said, "Could you come in here for a moment, Rose? I'd like to talk to the both of you."

I nodded and followed him inside, closing the door behind me. I glanced at Dimitri and he gave me a small smile. I guess the questioning didn't go so bad, then.

"Do you have any news on Jesse?" I asked.

Mikhail shook his head. "I'm sorry," he said. "We're doing everything we can to find him, but his parents aren't really cooperative. They don't want to believe what their son did. I've asked for a search warrant. Hopefully we'll find some clues as to where he is when we search his house." He looked at me as he continued, "You know Jesse pretty well, Rose. Can you think of some places where he might be? Someplace where he likes to go?"

"No, I don't think so," I said, biting my lip.

"Are you sure?"

I tried to think of something, a place Jesse liked, but nothing came to my mind. "I don't know. I'm sorry," I said.

"It's alright." Mikhail sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Well, we talked to Camille Conta and she admitted to have put the notes in your locker."

"Oh, what else did she say?" I asked, hoping I didn't sound too curious. Jesse had said Camille knew about my relationship with Dimitri. She might've told Mikhail. I hoped she hadn't, because then Mikhail knew I'd lied to him.

"Nothing much. She was kind of in shock," he responded. "She hadn't expected Jesse to do something like that. She apparently thought Jesse was just trying to spook you and she'd agreed to put the notes in your locker. She didn't think he was being serious."

I tried not to show how relieved I was. "Oh. Okay."

"She's at the station right now for her statement. Do you want to press charges against her?"

I looked at Dimitri briefly before saying, "No, that's okay. She just did it because she loved Jesse, I guess. Besides, she just put them there. She didn't write the notes."

"Fair enough," Mikhail said. "Don't forget to bring the notes back to the station."

"I will bring them tomorrow," I promised.

"Okay. Thank you. I should go. Let me know if there's something else. You've got my card."

I nodded. "Thank you." I hesitated but then decided to ask him. "Do you know where my mom is?"

"Oh, she's at the station. Trying to gain some information," Mikhail said, a small frown on his face. He sighed and continued, "You really should tell her the truth, you know. About Jesse and your…" He glanced at Dimitri and then looked back at me. "And your relationship. She deserves to know the truth."

"I know," I said. "I'll tell her as soon as I see her."

Mikhail nodded. "Well, I'd better get going then."

He gave us a small smile and headed out the door. I turned to Dimitri. He lifted his arm and took my hand in his, pulling me closer to him.

"What a mess," I said sighing as I sat down on the edge of his bed.

"It'll be alright," he murmured, kissing my hair.

I gave him a small smile and pecked him on the lips. "Ivan is here. He's waiting outside. You want me to let him in?"

"Oh, sure," Dimitri said smiling. I was about to get up, but he pulled me back and kissed me. "I guess he can wait two more minutes," he whispered against my lips.

I smiled and pulled away from him. "I heard you told him about me?"

"Oh. Yeah, kind of," he admitted. "I didn't tell him you were my student, though."

"I know," I said. "You didn't even tell him my name."

"Well, you were still my student. The less he knew, the better," Dimitri said, brushing a strand of hair out of my face. He kissed me again and let go of me. "Okay, now Ivan can come in."

Grinning, I walked over to the door and opened it. I motioned for Ivan to come in. He quickly got up from his seat and I stepped aside so he could enter the room.

"I'll leave you two alone for a bit. Have fun," I said, winking.

Dimitri rolled his eyes, but smiled reluctantly. I blew him a kiss and closed the door behind me. I sat back down in the chair across his room and decided to call my mom. She didn't pick up at first. I had to call four times before she finally answered her phone.

"Is there something wrong, Rose?" she asked, worried.

"No, no," I said quickly. "I'm fine. I was just wondering where you are.

"I'm at the station," she said.

What was she still doing there? I thought they'd taken her off the case. Was she still trying to get information?

"Do you need me to pick you up?" I asked.

"No, I'll be fine. Are you still at the hospital?"

"Yes. Are you coming over here or you want me to come home?"

"No, I'll come over. I would like to talk to you – and Dimitri, too."

I gulped. Oh no. Had she figured it out? I didn't like the way she said Dimitri's name. "Okay…"

"I'll see you soon," she said before disconnecting.

I put my phone away and sighed. Shit. I hoped she wasn't pissed. She didn't sound pissed, so maybe she hadn't figured it out yet. I didn't know. I guess I would find out soon enough.

I let out another sigh and walked down the hall to get a soda from the vending machine. I hung around there for a while and then headed back to Dimitri's room. Just when I arrived, the door opened and Ivan walked out.

"Oh, there you are," he said smiling. "Dimitri already thought you'd left without saying something. He almost got upset over it."

"That's not true!" I heard Dimitri say from the room.

Ivan grinned and said to me, "I don't know what you did to him. I've never seen him this crazy about a girl before."

"I guess I'm special," I joked.

He laughed. "I guess you are." He put his hands inside his pockets and said, "Well, I guess I'll see you around. It was nice to meet you, Rose."

"Nice to meet you too, Ivan," I said smiling. He left and I went inside, closing the door behind me. "So did you tell him the truth about us?"

Dimitri shook his head and sighed. "Not yet."

I walked over to him and sat down on the chair. "You should do it soon, though. Now that they still have pity for you," I added jokingly.

He glared at me playfully and then said, "What are you doing over there? Come here."

I grinned and started to get up, but then the door opened again and a nurse walked in.

"God, how many visitors do you have?" she said, shaking her head. I looked at Dimitri and he just shrugged. "Well, I'm sorry, miss, but you'll have to leave for a sec. I really need to change his bandage now and I'm not planning on coming back another time. It won't take long."

"Oh, sure," I said, a little confused by her abrupt tone. "I'll wait outside."

Ten minutes later I was allowed to go back in.

"So what was that all about?" I asked, sitting down on the edge of his bed.

"Nothing. She's just cranky," Dimitri said. "She was like that earlier today, too, when she came to give me some meds. I think she's had a bad night."

"Worse than ours? I don't think so," I scoffed, crossing my arms. "Can't you get another nurse? Someone who's a little more friendly?"

"Maybe _you_ can be my nurse," he said smirking. "I think I'd like that a whole lot more."

I raised my eyebrows. "Really?"

He nodded, still smirking, and started to lean in, but then he winced in pain and his smirk turned into the grimace.

"Well, this nurse says you have to stop moving so much," I said as I gently pushed against his shoulder to get him to lay back down. "You have to take it easy."

"Then you come closer," he said. "I want to kiss you."

I rolled my eyes and scooted closer to him, careful not to hurt him. I leaned in and pecked him on the lips.

"Really? Is that all?" he pouted.

I laughed. "You know, sometimes you whine too much." But I couldn't resist him when he was looking at me like that so I kissed him again, longer this time. "There. Is that better?"

He nodded and smiled. "Much."

Suddenly, the door opened again and I jolted up. It was the nurse again. This time she'd brought a tray with food with her. She put it down on the bedside table.

"Enjoy your dinner," she said curtly before exiting the room.

I handed Dimitri the tray and he eyed it suspiciously.

"I don't know what that is, but it looks disgusting," I said. It kind of looked like porridge. It had the wrong color to be porridge, though. "So how does it taste?"

Dimitri swallowed a spoonful of porridge – or whatever it was – and shrugged. "It could be worse," he said at last. The look on his face told me something entirely different, though, and I raised my eyebrows. "Okay, fine. It's disgusting," he admitted.

I grinned. "Poor baby. You want me to see if they have some donuts in the cafeteria?"

He shook his head. "No, it's okay. I'm not that hungry anyway."

"So you don't want your dessert?" I said, eyeing the pudding on his tray.

He rolled his eyes. "I knew you wanted it."

"So can I have it?" I asked, hopeful.

He was trying to hide his smile, but failed. "Sure you can have it."

I grinned and took the pudding from his tray. He handed me his spoon and I dug in. Dimitri watched me as I ate and smiled.

"You want a taste?" I asked.

"Sure," he said. I was about to give him the spoon, but he pulled me closer and pressed his lips against mine. His tongue traced my bottom lip and I opened my mouth, granting him entrance, and our tongues rubbed against each other.

"That's a lot better than the porridge," Dimitri commented when he pulled away.

I smiled and kissed him again. His hand snaked behind my neck and he pulled me closer. But the tray was in our way so I pulled away to put it aside and then moved my lips to his again. My arms wrapped around his neck as we continued to kiss.

"Ahum…"

Startled, I pulled away from Dimitri and looked up. My mom stood in the doorway, arms crossed, and she did not look happy. Not happy at all. In fact, she looked pissed. She kicked the door shut behind her and made her way over to us.

"I think it's about time we have talk," she said, voice hard. "You have a lot of explaining to do."

I sat up straight and glanced at Dimitri. He looked back at me and gave my hand a gentle squeeze. His look told me that it would be alright. I really hoped it would. But even if this talk wouldn't go well, I at least knew I could count on him. He wouldn't leave me alone to fend for myself. We would do this together. Taking a deep breath, I looked back at my mom. Her mouth was a thin line of anger and her arms were still crossed. I felt like I was a suspect and she was about to question me.

This conversation wouldn't be easy, but I'd expected this. It was time to face the storm, but knowing that Dimitri would be by my side made it alright. As long as he was with me, I could take on everything. My mom might not approve of my relationship with Dimitri, but I knew it wouldn't matter. Not to me. Not to him. After everything we'd been through, nothing could tear us apart. Not even my mom.

* * *

**That was it. The ending could've been better, but my laptop is giving me a hard time so I wanted to write this before it all freezes again. Anyway, you probably want to know what Janine's reaction is and what she's going to say to them. You'll find that out in the first chapter of the sequel. I'll post an a/n on this story when I've published the first chapter of the sequel. The sequel will be called 'Unexpected Life'. I'll give you more information about it in the a/n next time. **

**I also want to thank you guys for sticking with me and reading and reviewing this story. I'd never thought so many people would like it. Thank you all very much! You are amazing. So once again, thank you! Xoxo**


	41. AN: Information Sequel Unexpected Love

**I'm back! Laptop is fixed after an entire week. Finally! Okay, now about the sequel... **

**The sequel will be called 'Unexpected Life' and the first chapter should be posted today. For the people who are interested, I'll give you a short summary. **

**_Now that Rose is graduated, she can finally be with Dimitri. This doesn't mean that her life will be easier, though. Not everyone likes the idea of them being together and the fact that the police hasn't caught Jesse yet, causes a lot of stress for Rose. She's afraid he'll come back for her. As if she hasn't enough to deal with, someone new in town will turn her life upside down. How will Rose deal with everything?_ **

**Okay, I suck at summaries. Sorry. Please forgive me.**

**I'd also like to thank you guys again for taking the time to read and review this story. I really enjoyed writing this story and I'm sure I'll enjoy writing the sequel. I hope you'll enjoy reading it! **


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